Summary

In this engaging conversation, Shannon Seaberg, owner of Earth and Easel Art Studio, shares her journey from Florida to 29 Palms, her passion for art, and the diverse offerings at her studio. She emphasizes the importance of self-expression through art, the value of sharing creativity with others, and the unique energy of the desert that inspires her work. Shannon encourages everyone, regardless of gender, to explore their artistic side and highlights the community aspect of her studio, where people can connect and create together.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background 03:19 Art and Personal Journey 06:03 The Nature of Art and Its Value 08:55 Art as a Personal Expression 11:58 The Connection Between Art and Life 15:03 Art in the Broader Context of Creativity 17:25 Artistic Inspirations and Influences 20:09 The Journey to Opening Earthen Easel 24:07 Diverse Creative Offerings at Earthen Easel 26:41 Encouraging Men to Embrace Art 29:46 Creating Memorable Experiences for Visitors

Summary

In this episode of the Highway 62 Podcast, host Danny Thompson interviews Paul Razo, a multifaceted entrepreneur and community leader in 29 Palms. Paul shares his journey from graphic design to user experience, his involvement in local charities, and his role in revitalizing the Historic Plaza. He discusses the Public Arts Advisory Committee's efforts to enhance the city's artistic landscape and introduces the quirky folklore of the Lamb Boy of Amboy, a creative project that has captured the community's imagination. The conversation highlights the importance of community events and the challenges faced in securing funding for local initiatives.

https://www.thehistoricplaza.org/

https://www.instagram.com/mojavesaints/

Summary

In this episode of the Highway 62 podcast, host Danny Thompson welcomes author Daniel Pyne and Brian Townsley to discuss their works, particularly focusing on Pyne's novel '29 Palms'. The conversation explores the journey of the book, the unique setting of 29 Palms, the role of small presses in modern publishing, and the impact of corporate influence on storytelling. They also touch on the importance of authenticity in storytelling, the upcoming 29 Palms Book Festival, and the evolution of serialized storytelling in television.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Guests and Their Works 02:41 Exploring '29 Palms' and Its Journey 08:12 Researching the Desert and Its Influence 10:15 The Unique Community of 29 Palms 14:51 The Role of Starlight Pulp and Indie Publishing 19:41 The Changing Landscape of Storytelling 27:44 The Success of Bosch and Authentic Storytelling 34:40 The 29 Palms Book Festival and Community Engagement

Join Danny Thompson on the Highway 62 Podcast as he chats with George Gutenberg, the mastermind behind Moto Tour Adventures and Desert Motorcycle Rentals. Nestled between 29 Palms and Joshua Tree, George shares his journey from architectural photographer to motorcycle enthusiast, offering guided tours on electric mopeds through the stunning landscapes of Joshua Tree. Discover the thrill of two-wheel adventures, the unique experience of riding in nature, and how George's passion for motorcycles became a thriving business. Whether you're a local or a tourist, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to explore the open road. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about the freedom and mindfulness that comes with riding.

https://motoadventuretours.com/contact-us

Danny Thompson (00:01.422) All right, George Gutenberg, thanks so much for joining me here on the Highway 62 Podcast. How are you today?

George Gutenberg (00:07.89) I'm doing great. Thanks for having me.

Danny Thompson (00:09.87) Oh, my pleasure. And you are the owner. We're kind of talking about two businesses here along Highway 62. You're kind of right between 29 and Joshua Tree. You have Moto Tour Adventures and Desert Motorcycle Rentals. And, you know, I apologize to any of the listeners if we end up geeking out too much on this stuff because this is totally right up my alley motorcycles and bicycles. So.

George Gutenberg (00:27.352) All right.

Danny Thompson (00:37.574) We'll have to try to like limit ourselves from getting you know to down the rabbit hole of that stuff. But you know we'll talk about both of your businesses and all that good stuff. But you know first why you just tell us a little bit about yourself and you know how you came to be.

George Gutenberg (00:37.782) Yeah.

George Gutenberg (00:54.168) Well, that's a long story given how old I've gotten. But having said that, yeah, I've been a motorcycle rider my entire life, essentially, and always been a big part of me. It's the only way I know how to turn my head off is get onto a wheels and focus on what I'm doing. But yeah, so we started out as being a motorcycle rental company about, I guess, six years ago now, down in the valley in Palm Desert.

and we got him to start doing some guided tours as well and then I came across these electric mopeds.

about a year and a half ago or something like that, that are two-wheel drive. So they have a motor on each wheel. So they're really suitable for going off-highway, off-pavements. So we decided, know what, maybe we'll incorporate some of that into doing rentals or guided tours. So that's how we kind of came about and decided to get up on Highway 62. So we're a little closer to the park entrance and all that stuff. So that is what we're doing now. We're doing guided tours up in Joshua Tree in the park using the electric mopeds.

Danny Thompson (02:01.101) Cool.

George Gutenberg (02:01.529) big part of our business. Now that was really the focus when we came up to Joshua Tree itself.

Danny Thompson (02:05.131) Yeah, are you from the area? What's your background prior to this?

George Gutenberg (02:10.823) Well, I'm actually an architectural photographer by trade. So I retired from that a few years ago and decided, well, retirement is not for me. Never swung a golf club in my life, so I'm not about to start doing it now, right? So I wanted to do something that I kind of enjoyed, which obviously is them motorcycles. I had too many of them anyways, so I decided to get into the rental business and all that stuff.

Danny Thompson (02:14.166) Okay.

Danny Thompson (02:33.043) There's you can't have too many motorcycles. That's just not you always want another one.

George Gutenberg (02:35.649) Well, I know that's kind of been my, yeah, that's what I've always kind of hid behind also. I don't know that it's really working that well,

Danny Thompson (02:45.121) What's the, what is the first motorcycle you ever had?

George Gutenberg (02:50.999) 1971 Harley-Davidson. Yeah.

Danny Thompson (02:53.615) wow, okay.

Did you start, were you riding dirt bikes as a kid or anything like that?

George Gutenberg (03:00.651) I rode that dirt mopeds when I was a kid.

Danny Thompson (03:03.597) And it was at again out. Are you from kind of the Southern California? OK. Gotcha. All right. Where in Sweden? Gotcha. OK, gotcha. I've played I play in a band. I've played a festival in Gothenburg. I'm not sure. I'm sure I'm saying it wrong, but yeah, loved it. Love Sweden.

George Gutenberg (03:09.463) No, from Sweden originally. Yeah. But I've been here a very long time, so... Stockholm area. Yeah, yeah.

George Gutenberg (03:28.363) huh. Yep. Yep. Mm-hmm. boy, is there ever. I'm very happy to be in sunshine and palm trees. The whole overcast and the six months of not seeing the sun doesn't work for me very well.

Danny Thompson (03:33.069) Okay, awesome. Quite a difference in weather between Sweden and the high desert.

Danny Thompson (03:41.842) Right.

Yeah, that's always my struggle as well when I, you know, I tend to end up somehow get lucky and I visit, you know, when I was in Gothenburg, like it was a beautiful summer day, you know, and you always think about it that way. And then I go, okay, I know, you know, I've been to the UK and I've been to Europe when it's in the winter time and the sun's going down at three in the afternoon and I can't do it. You know? Yeah. So,

George Gutenberg (03:58.092) Uh-huh.

George Gutenberg (04:03.507) yeah.

George Gutenberg (04:07.276) Yep.

I hear you. I feel the same way.

Danny Thompson (04:14.605) Tell us a little bit about the guided motorcycle tours that you were doing prior to the electric bikes.

George Gutenberg (04:19.105) Mm-hmm.

Yeah, we don't necessarily do long distance type of stuff, although, you know, if we do a custom tour for somebody that kind of dictates how long they want to be out, etc. But we have given ones that we do like, you know, going up to, you know, go and do the whole Joshua tree loop, for example, was really popular when we're operating out of Palm Desert. Same thing going up Highway 74, obviously up to Idlewild, etc. Everybody loved that. Who doesn't like Highway 74, right?

Danny Thompson (04:32.684) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (04:47.923) Okay, yeah, that's beautiful ride. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

George Gutenberg (04:52.215) And also we did a lot of Anza Marego that way out also through the Salton Sea, cetera, going around the whole big loop there. So, and there were people that wanted to go to Temecula. There's all kinds of places that people want to kind of go see, depending on where they're from. You know, a lot of people that we had have never been out on the West Coast. So they wanted to do all kinds of different things. So, but yeah, that's how it kind of started out getting in the guided tour thing. The guide that

Danny Thompson (05:08.897) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (05:18.753) Are those, do you stay, are they mostly on road tours or do you do like off road into the Mojave Desert type stuff or?

George Gutenberg (05:22.357) Yeah, yes. Well, we do some of that. However, seems our experience has been a lot of people that are off-road riders that are not from California have no idea what sand is and how deep it is and how difficult it is to ride in.

Danny Thompson (05:36.641) Yeah. Yeah. I was, that's exactly what I was thinking.

George Gutenberg (05:44.471) Yeah, so we've had quite a few people that said, oh yeah, yeah, I can write in anything. And it turns out that's not necessarily the case. So they struggle a little bit. But yeah, we do some dual sports towards all of those things.

Danny Thompson (05:51.094) Yeah. Gotcha. When I, when I moved out to this area, I, you know, I grew up in Chicago and I was living in Orange County for about 20 years. and then moved out here about four or five years ago. And when I first got out here, I just had my, my Triumph Tiger. And, know, that was my primary bike, but I quickly realized like, okay, I can't, I, I cannot ride, you know, I know there are guys that can ride the adventure bikes in the sand.

George Gutenberg (06:12.139) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (06:19.241) I can't do it very well, so I bought myself a little KLX 300. And I've thought about that.

George Gutenberg (06:23.383) Uh huh. A lot easier.

Danny Thompson (06:26.581) yeah, you know, put some really aggressive tires on there and I just, you know, just forced myself to just get out there and just kind of watched a bunch of videos and just started learning and, you know, getting better and better and better to now where I'm actually pretty darn comfortable in the sand. which, you know, certainly makes your ride so much more enjoyable, but you know, I'd thought about that with, you know, I had even thought about, you know,

guiding some tours in the Mojave and stuff like that. Because I see so many adventure riding bikes, you know, coming down 62 when I'm at Starbucks or getting gas. And I think, man, you know, those guys are all kitted up. But I know that most of them are not going off the street on those bikes, you know. But then I always come back to this. What you just said, which is even if you provided them a smaller, you know, bike to do the ride on, most of most people, they're just going to struggle so much in that sand that it's.

George Gutenberg (06:54.135) Mm-hmm.

George Gutenberg (06:59.958) yes. yeah.

Danny Thompson (07:21.751) probably not going to be very enjoyable for them and you know, potentially too many crashes and you know, and things like that. So, then, yeah, tell us a little bit more than, you know, when I was there the other day, I stopped by the shop there on 62 and was really, I had actually seen, and I don't know exactly how to pronounce those bikes. it Ubco? And where are they made?

George Gutenberg (07:38.903) Mm-hmm.

George Gutenberg (07:45.875) Mm-hmm, yes, up-go, yeah.

They are actually out of New Zealand, Utility Bike Company is what the OPCO stands for.

Danny Thompson (07:51.882) New Zealand. Utility bike company. okay. There you go. And I'd seen those some YouTube videos and stuff before. They just look so cool. They're like these heavy duty looking off-road e-bikes. And so kind of what gave you the idea to start doing the tours and the rentals with those?

George Gutenberg (08:03.008) Yeah, they are,

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

George Gutenberg (08:14.357) Well, first of all, there's a couple of things that come into play here. know, riding a motorcycle, you gotta have a motorcycle license in the state of California. That means that we would be catering to a pretty small part of the population. These ones obviously open up a whole different world as far as who can ride. As long as they have a driver's license and they're 21 years old, they can go. So that's part of it. I want to be able to work with a larger market.

Danny Thompson (08:34.465) Yeah.

George Gutenberg (08:43.599) For people to have, mean, Joshua Tree is a really, really special place. And most people that come in there, just are absolutely gobsmacked and just look around and go, holy moly, never seen anything like it.

Danny Thompson (08:55.074) Yeah.

George Gutenberg (08:55.979) But doing it behind the windshield is very different from being out in nature, smelling it, feeling it, hearing it. So something electric appealed to me, although I like motor noises typically. But for the purpose of this, it made a lot of sense to just something where you really kind of are in nature as best as you can and still be on two wheels and see things that you don't normally see. So it just made sense to me that we would have something that anybody could try.

Danny Thompson (09:02.337) Yes.

Danny Thompson (09:07.884) Hahaha

Yes.

Danny Thompson (09:22.189) Gotcha.

George Gutenberg (09:22.647) and be able to have kind of the same experience. And it's interesting all the people that have gone out with us already that not only did they come back with a giant smile on their face, a lot of them will say, wow, I didn't know I could ride a motorcycle. Well, it's not really a motorcycle, it's a moped. But having said that.

Danny Thompson (09:36.413) Hehehehe. Hehehehe.

George Gutenberg (09:40.192) It's refreshing to see, especially with women. We have so many women customers that go out and do this. And it's just really great. And they're having a great time. So yeah, it was just something that kind of spun off by itself and wanted to kind of expand, if you will, the guided tour thing. And have it in a...

not out all day long because you when you take somebody out first time on two wheels they get kind of tired after a couple three hours because there are tans and all of that stuff so it was kind of a start for this but we're planning on expanding it and having multiple different tours in the park etc and have more bikes coming as well so that's kind of the goal with it but yeah it's it's uh at this point a little bit of a in its infant stage for lack of a better word but we're doing it i mean we we do tours seven days a week so

Danny Thompson (10:07.875) Sure, sure.

Danny Thompson (10:26.754) Sure, gotcha, absolutely. That's great.

George Gutenberg (10:31.523) Thank

Danny Thompson (10:31.68) Okay. And so, are there multiple ways? like, can somebody just come and just rent one of those up, upcoes and go out by themselves? Okay. It's guided.

George Gutenberg (10:39.062) No.

At this point, we do not. And there's a couple of reasons for that. A. They are electric after all. And for whatever reason, people don't seem to remember that they need to be charged. It's not like you're on a motorcycle. You can just pull into the closest gas station. It's a six hour recharge. Well, four to six hours, depending on how depleted the batteries are. Having said that, we just don't have enough of them, frankly, also for them to be out buying around and still be able to support our customers that want to go on a tour. So that's one of the reasons why we're only

Danny Thompson (10:44.407) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (11:04.014) Gotcha.

George Gutenberg (11:11.001) At this point, at least, only doing guided tours with them. Yeah.

Danny Thompson (11:15.138) Very cool, very cool. You you mentioned a couple things that, you know, again, I said it wouldn't go too deep on the motorcycle mentality and stuff like that, but I think a lot of people can relate to this kind of thing. You mentioned, you know,

George Gutenberg (11:23.959) It's alright.

Danny Thompson (11:30.095) the difference in traveling on a bike, open air versus these other things. that's something I've I talk about with, you know, the singer of my band really got into motorcycles and he's been doing a bunch of trips. And that's kind of one of the ways that we've always describe it to our friends is we say, you know, well, you could travel by plane. You don't really see anything. You travel in the car. Yeah, you can look out the windows. You can see stuff. But when you're on a bike, you know, any two wheels, motorcycle, e-bike.

bicycle, you know, your intake of an experience of all these things is so much different and is, you know, it's at, you know, if driving in a car through the park is a five, being on two wheels in the open air is a 10. The smells and just the feel and I actually, you know, my my girlfriend is a nurse and you know, people that work in the medical field tend to not be huge fans of motorcycles and

George Gutenberg (11:59.308) Yeah.

George Gutenberg (12:16.186) yeah.

George Gutenberg (12:27.799) Mm-hmm.

Danny Thompson (12:29.236) she was out here visiting me and I took her for a ride on my tiger and it was like her first real ride on a motorcycle, you know, and I just kept it easy and nice and slow and but we went through the park and when she got she was just like when we came back that was it she was like, my god and then like a month later she bought a KX one KLX 110. You know, got a bike now.

George Gutenberg (12:39.477) Right, right.

George Gutenberg (12:45.365) Yeah.

George Gutenberg (12:52.535) But I think that's how a lot of people fall into it because you're so much more aware of your surroundings when you're on a motorcycle. Because you're focused anyway, because you want to make sure that you stay safe and everything else. But that also means you have all of this input constantly. Smells, feels, wind. mean, everything is there and it's just such a... It's so more immersive, the experience than it is just sitting in a car and everybody else is sitting in a car around you blocking your view. It's just... Yeah. yeah, motorcycling is... It's a very unique experience.

Danny Thompson (12:57.88) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (13:02.251) Sure.

Danny Thompson (13:11.286) Yes, that's a great word for it.

Danny Thompson (13:17.238) Yeah

Danny Thompson (13:22.356) And yeah.

George Gutenberg (13:22.579) being on electric or gas or whatever they are but anything on two wheels is a wonderful thing.

Danny Thompson (13:27.774) And you know, but the other element to that story that I think again, and you touched on this so well, you know, she hadn't ridden before. So the little KLX 110, got her. It does have gears. It's no clutch, which, you know, for somebody who hasn't done it. But even that, you know, a gas powered motorcycle, she's got a shift. You know, basically she's ridden it around the cul-de-sac a couple of times is never, you know, got I haven't been able to get her to shift into second gear yet.

And so what I started really thinking is like the electric bike, the e motor, you know, the dirt bike, something like that where, and you touched on that saying that women are coming back after riding one of these bikes and just falling in love with it. And I really think that's the best thing I would get for my girlfriend, which is making me think we need to come in and do a ride with you guys so she can experience that. Because, know,

George Gutenberg (14:13.937) yeah.

George Gutenberg (14:21.963) Yeah, you should come and try it out and see how she has it.

Danny Thompson (14:25.313) the e-motorcycles, e-bikes, you know, there really is less to it when it comes to the skill needed, you know, to operate the vehicle. You turn the throttle and you move forward and you've got brakes, basically like a bicycle, but you know, the shifting and just, you know, the clutch and just all those kinds of things is taken out of the equation and it allows the person to ride right away without really having to go through months of like,

George Gutenberg (14:34.306) sure, yes.

George Gutenberg (14:38.508) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (14:52.621) you know, classes or take skill learning and stuff like that. So I think that is such a great, you know, element to this. Really, really cool. You know, the other thing that you mentioned, you know, is you said you started writing as a way to kind of calm your your mind and your brain. And I think that's another really, you know, often kind of under.

George Gutenberg (14:52.885) Yes, completely agree. Yeah.

George Gutenberg (15:13.239) Okay?

Danny Thompson (15:19.343) or you know, not talked about as much issue with with riding, know, is you are you do have to concentrate all the time. You have to constantly be aware of who's around you and what the other cars are doing and, you know, all those things. But the.

George Gutenberg (15:28.546) yes. Yes.

Danny Thompson (15:36.461) the mental break that you get from putting a helmet on. And I get the same thing when I go on my bicycle, you know, because there's that physical element of suffering on the bike that just does so much. You know, when you are stressed out or you got just so many things on your mind, when you put that helmet on and just get out there, it really just does so much. Yeah. For your brain. It's a really great thing.

George Gutenberg (15:45.057) Yes.

Yeah.

George Gutenberg (15:55.404) You're in the moment. You're truly in the moment where you have to focus on what you're doing and that just shuts everything else down. All the things are going in our head all the time. I'm going to fix that. It's just out the window for a moment. And that's what I'm saying. I find it really relaxing. I really do.

Danny Thompson (16:03.897) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (16:12.415) Awesome. Wonderful. Yeah, this sounds like such a cool thing. I really encourage, you know, people listening to this at, you know, locals as well as, you know, tourists. I'm sure there's a ton of local people that, you know, just have never experienced anything like this and would really enjoy it. George, if somebody wants to get a hold of you, to book a tour or ask questions, what's the best way to do that?

George Gutenberg (16:35.927) Well, we have all the information online of course. for guided tours, it's MotoAdventureTours.com is the website. If they're interested in renting a motorcycle, that be DesertMotorRentals.com. And phone numbers, we have those too. 760469000. Or if they need an 800 number, we have one of those. 373MOTO.

Danny Thompson (16:54.575) All right.

Danny Thompson (17:05.167) 373 MOTO cool All right. I will make sure to put all that stuff in the show notes George thanks so much for your time I'll be I'll be coming down to do a ride for sure bring my girlfriend down there and then Usually in the winter my brother comes out. He you know, he's back in the Chicago area So his you know his five or six motorcycles He always has her, you know garage at that point So he always wants to take one of my bikes and go for a ride. So I'm thinking this year. We rent a couple

George Gutenberg (17:07.072) Yeah!

George Gutenberg (17:13.675) That was my pleasure. Thanks.

George Gutenberg (17:30.027) Good night.

Danny Thompson (17:34.861) You know, or a couple of bikes from you and try out some bikes that, that I haven't, I, did look in your garage the other day when I was over there and you've got a great selection of a wide selection of cool stuff.

George Gutenberg (17:35.159) Yeah, you bet. Yeah, I mean, we got different.

George Gutenberg (17:44.971) Well, we got everything. Yeah, I mean, we got, you know, light bikes, heavy bikes, everything in between. So, know, Harleys and BMWs and Moto Guzis and, you know, Royal Enfields, we got a variety of stuff. that pretty much suits anybody, I think. So whatever riding style, how much weight they want to carry.

Danny Thompson (17:56.375) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Really. Yeah. Yeah. Really, really cool. George, thank you so much for being on the show.

George Gutenberg (18:05.772) Thanks. My pleasure. Thank you, Danny, for inviting me.

Danny Thompson (18:11.576) Alright.

Join us as we delve into the inspiring journey of Andy Catlin, the proud owner of Studio 29 Yoga. Discover how Andy's unique background and diverse experiences led him to embrace the world of yoga and ultimately own his own studio. From initial challenges to triumphant successes, Andy shares his personal story of transformation and the passion that drives him to create a welcoming space for all. Tune in to hear about the pivotal moments and lessons learned along the way.

Andy's unique background and how it influenced his journey. The challenges and triumphs of owning a yoga studio. Insights into creating a welcoming and inclusive yoga space.

Hashtags: #YogaJourney #Studio29Yoga #Inspiration

Listen now and be inspired by Andy's story of passion and perseverance!

https://www.instagram.com/studio29.yoga.pilates/

Summary

In this episode of the Highway 62 podcast, Danny Thompson interviews Cooper Gillespie from Mojave Gold, a new music venue, bar, and restaurant in Yucca Valley. They discuss the vision behind the venue, the talented team involved, the challenges of opening an independent venue, and the emphasis on creating a high-quality music experience. Cooper shares insights into the culinary offerings and the importance of community support for independent venues.

https://www.instagram.com/mojavegolddesert/

Takeaways

Mojave Gold aims to be a creative meeting place for the community. The team behind Mojave Gold has extensive experience in music and hospitality. Opening an independent venue requires significant capital and effort. Quality sound and lighting are crucial for a great music experience. The venue features a diverse range of events, from country nights to film screenings. Community support is vital for the success of independent venues. The menu focuses on locally sourced ingredients and caters to various dietary preferences. Mojave Gold is designed to provide a comfortable experience for both artists and patrons. The venue's capacity allows for intimate yet high-quality performances. The team is committed to creating a unique cultural experience in Yucca Valley.

Danny Thompson (00:02.049) All right, Cooper Gillespie from Mojave Gold. Thanks so much for taking some time out to be on the Highway 62 podcast. How are you today?

Cooper Gillespie (00:10.476) I'm wonderful, it's my pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me.

Danny Thompson (00:13.664) I'm excited to talk to you. This project's right up my alley. So I was really excited that you guys could find time to do this as well, because I know you just opened. So Mojave Gold, new music venue, bar, restaurant in Yucca Valley. Give us just the basic, you know, kind of rundown of what it is, what you guys are doing, and like what the vision is for this project.

Cooper Gillespie (00:38.604) Yeah. So we, we always drive by what was formerly the Abar and go, gosh, somebody's got to do something with that, you know, for about two years we did that. And then finally we were like, okay, we'll do it. And so our vision is really to create a beautiful meeting place for our community, for creatives, certainly for foodies, for people who love wine. mean, I remember when we moved to Yucca Valley.

Danny Thompson (00:44.685) Right.

Right? Mm-hmm.

Danny Thompson (01:02.894) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (01:05.326) about 10 years ago, you couldn't get a good bottle of wine even at Vons, you know? So, it's just that we wanted to create a space that feels really creative and where people can get good food, good meals, see a great show and just have a great experience.

Danny Thompson (01:08.354) Wow, all right.

Danny Thompson (01:22.07) Yeah, awesome. Sounds really exciting. I thought that same thing because I only moved out here, I guess I'm going on four years or something like that. yeah, I always thought that looked like a great location, really cool looking building and stuff. So I was really excited when I started to see like, you know, little glimmers of like, I think somebody's working on that place. This could be great, you know. So.

Cooper Gillespie (01:42.786) Yeah, it was funny to see people on Facebook going, hey, what's going on over there? Anyone know what's happening over there?

Danny Thompson (01:48.789) Yeah. Yeah. It's that it's kind of like a fun element that I like about being out in a little bit smaller, you know, community because, you know, I grew up in Chicago and I lived in Orange County for the last 20 years or whatever before coming up here. And it's like, you know, there's so much stuff that it's you don't notice little things like that. But I'm always

you know, I'll go away for a week and when I come back, I'm looking at like, hey, is that something new going in over there and what's happening over here? And it's easy to see those things and it's, you know, I think you feel instantly more connected to it and supportive as well.

Cooper Gillespie (02:26.689) Yeah, it's amazing how much our community has changed just in the 10 years I've lived here and I'm sure it's going to continue changing. there's just so many exciting shops and restaurants and happenings. I know that there's a lot of cool plans in the town. I don't know if you've seen the thing for the Aquatic Center, but Yucca Valley is coming up and there's a lot of stuff happening around here.

Danny Thompson (02:45.358) You sent me a little document that had your bio as well as, you know, everybody involved in the club there. And we can't go through everybody because it's a pretty involved group there, but give us a little bit just a rundown of your background and then maybe we'll touch on some of the key elements of the other partners.

Cooper Gillespie (03:11.511) Yeah, well, one of the amazing things about this opening this place was the synergy of the team. Everyone is an incredible, you know, A plus plus plus player in their own right. And we really got lucky in that way. So my background is I've been a musician for a long time. I was a touring musician. And of course I always worked in bars, you know, because bars you could work and then go on tour and then come back and work.

Danny Thompson (03:37.112) Sure.

Cooper Gillespie (03:37.882) And my husband too, Greg, is the GM and he was also a touring musician and worked in bars for a number of years. And then our partners, Dale and Brooklyn, come from more of the hospitality side of things, having owned Dive, which is a hotel in Palm Springs. And so together we just had this really unique blend of experience. But then we got so lucky when Liz Garrow, who's like a legendary booker, on to book the acts.

Danny Thompson (04:04.364) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (04:05.853) and then our chefs are world-class chefs. chef Brynn is, she came from workshop down in Palm Springs and she's up here and she just is bringing a whole new level of gastronomic delight to the high desert. Yeah. So we, got lucky because.

Danny Thompson (04:17.463) Yeah.

And also she's a drummer, I read, so that makes her extra cool right off the bat.

Cooper Gillespie (04:23.15) Yeah. Yeah. We got a, we got a lot of a rhythm section here because Greg is a drummer. I'm a bass player. So rhythm section unite.

Danny Thompson (04:29.806) All right.

Yeah, that's cool. Yeah, you know, that was something that really struck me when I was reading through the bio there because, you know, it wasn't like, some people that, you know, know a little bit about music and bands and kind of wanted to, you know, you always hear about people, especially anybody who comes into Money. It's like, I'm going to open a restaurant or I want to own a bar. You know, you always hear people with those dreams. And as I'm reading through this, I'm like, okay, these are...

talented and experienced serious business people and artists and chefs and like it's an A plus team. I was really impressed.

Cooper Gillespie (05:12.717) Yeah, everyone has got an enormous amount. mean, we've all spent our entire adult lives in the business, both either in entertainment and or in hospitality. And so the amount of experience that we all have is really, really wonderful because we all know what we're doing. And I worked, I worked at places where people didn't know what they were doing, but I can confidently, yeah, I did.

Danny Thompson (05:32.942) Yeah, we're gonna touch, that was something I wrote down here that we will touch base on as touring, you know, I'm still a touring musician. I just got back from Mexico this last weekend, you know, so yeah, we'll talk about the bad.

Cooper Gillespie (05:37.657) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (05:43.423) awesome!

Cooper Gillespie (05:47.573) Yeah, yeah. Well, once you've experienced it, you're like, okay, now I definitely know what not to do. And so I think I've always said, like, if it can't happen with this team, I don't know who it could happen with, because we all really know what we're doing. I can say that with confidence.

Danny Thompson (05:53.665) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (06:03.031) Now you touch base on the Booker, the talent buyer, and that was something that really stuck out to me. Tell me a little bit more about her and some of the venues and stuff she used. Because was a pretty, going down the list, I'm like, yep, I know that place and that place and that place, and I've played there and I've played there. She's not a rookie.

Cooper Gillespie (06:05.622) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (06:21.676) Yeah. no. is like legit. She's like a legend. I mean, I don't say that term lightly, but in the booking world, especially in SoCal and the LA area, especially, she's definitely like a booking legend. mean, she is, you know, I don't want to say single-handedly, but almost single-handedly responsible for the incredible Silverlake music scene that we had back in the...

Danny Thompson (06:46.101) Yeah. Wow.

Cooper Gillespie (06:47.576) late 90s, early 2000s. She booked the Echo for a long time and did a lot of booking for Space Land Presents. She books at the Regent Theater. She's booked so many different festivals. I can't even name them all, you know, and she just has so much experience. And the thing I love about Liz is that she is not afraid to go out on a limb. She's not afraid to take chances on artists or to put together kind of eclectic

Danny Thompson (06:51.213) Mm-hmm.

Danny Thompson (06:58.69) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (07:12.152) weird things that other bookers wouldn't even want to, you know, touch, you know, and I love that about her because she takes these chances and it makes, it really gives, I already feel like it's given our calendar such a character because we have everything from, you know, a country line dancing night to a disco club to throw rag, you know, yeah. And everything in between. I just, think that's so cool that she does that, that she's,

Danny Thompson (07:31.503) I was going to say I saw Thoreau Rag was playing there.

Cooper Gillespie (07:40.351) not afraid to like book outside the box and bring in really interesting acts. We've also had film screenings where screening Lydia Lunch's new documentary and Lydia's gonna be there and do a Q &A. So it's like all this cool stuff that I just feel like is bringing this extra element of, you know, of culture to our area.

Danny Thompson (07:51.427) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (07:59.0) Yeah. So you got this great team. What was it about that venue or the area that made you guys feel like this is the right time, the right place to make, you know, because clearly again, you're not throwing it together. You're making a sizable investment in this place. What was just kind of the thoughts with everyone on why this was a good time to do it?

Cooper Gillespie (08:24.61) Well, it's really funny because we're back in December. got a call, Greg and I, from someone who we've been business partners with and known for a long time. And he's like, you know, I was talking to the owner of the, what was the odd bar? And he was saying that, you know, he wants people to come in. And I remember when Greg first told me about it, I was like, absolutely not. Like, I feel like I've just got to this place where my life is peaceful. I got time for myself. Like, no. And then, but I was out of town.

Danny Thompson (08:45.539) Ha ha ha ha!

Danny Thompson (08:50.575) Mmm.

Cooper Gillespie (08:52.374) And when I came back, went down there and looked at it and I was like, dang, I see the vision, we're doing this, you know? And then, and we got together with our partners and like I said, it was just this insane synergy where it was like, there's no question, like it's magic, we've got to do this. And so it was a lot of work because we had to raise a lot of money. And I can see now why it's so hard for people to open independent venues or even restaurants because it takes so much capital and no matter how much you.

Danny Thompson (08:57.431) Hahaha

Danny Thompson (09:11.07) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (09:21.058) think you need, probably need like a lot more than that. And because there's just all sorts of crazy stuff that comes up like, the HVAC went out. this isn't working. you know, there's just so many things that you don't even anticipate. But we got the lease on March 15th and we opened on May 31st. So it was quick. It's the whole thing's been really quick. And we're just sort of, you know, building this plane as we're flying it.

Danny Thompson (09:24.195) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (09:31.047) yeah.

Danny Thompson (09:43.532) Yeah. And, know, along those lines. And I think that's something that, you know, probably like the casual, you know, you know, music fan who likes to go to venues and stuff doesn't think about that much. But you mentioned a key word there, which is, you know, kind of being an independent music venue, right? Not being so you're not under the banner of Live Nation or something like that. But it talk a little bit about the challenges because that can create

Cooper Gillespie (10:02.008) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (10:06.219) No.

Danny Thompson (10:12.729) The is when you get to that size of like, well, we want to book a national act. There's so much behind the scenes of like, well, they're only going to go to these live nation venues and things like that.

Cooper Gillespie (10:27.478) Yeah, I don't think a lot of people realize and that's why when people you know say in our reviews or when I when we meet them at the venue and the restaurant and they say like we're gonna be here supporting you I really mean it when I say thank you so much like it means the world to us because it is such an undertaking and such a labor of love and it is really hard and it's just like it's especially the money piece of it you know I can see why certain venues might want to sell out and go with a live nation or something because

Danny Thompson (10:47.726) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (10:55.24) it, like I said, takes way more money than you think it's going to take just like from like the labor and putting together the food. And then you bring in, you want to bring in a national app or they're going to want to guarantee. And you've got to make sure that you can do the promotion and everything to, to make that guarantee or, know, or you're going to lose money, which happens.

Danny Thompson (11:13.291) Right. And you might be competing with an offer or a potential offer from a Live Nation type venue that has a ton of capital and all that stuff. Right. On one show, right. They lose money on tons of shows all the time. And yeah, it's...

Cooper Gillespie (11:22.864) yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (11:26.56) And it's like if they lose money, it's not like the end of their business. If we lose, yeah.

Yeah, we can't really afford to do that. have to, you know, yeah. And, and we are a smaller venue, you know, where, um, our total capacity is technically 478, but we keep it around 300 because we want it to be comfortable for people. So, you know, there's, there's, there's a cap on how, you know, if we're going to have Stevie Nicks come play, it's going to be a secret show, you know, or something sponsored by some big conglomerate because we can't get those kind of, we can't.

Danny Thompson (11:46.392) okay.

Danny Thompson (11:57.835) Right, right, right, right. Sure, sure,

Cooper Gillespie (12:03.499) sell enough tickets to pay for an artist like that, you know?

Danny Thompson (12:06.288) Right. It was that was on my notes here to ask you about the capacity. But that is a good size. I mean, you can bring in real good quality stuff at that capacity and still keep it out of reason. you know, people will pay a decent, you know, 30 or 40 dollar ticket for bands that they like in a in a midsize or smaller to midsize, you know, venue like that. So I'm sure you're going to be able to get some great bands and.

Cooper Gillespie (12:17.431) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (12:31.681) Totally.

Danny Thompson (12:36.592) You know, as I was scouring Instagram and websites and stuff, you know, kind of getting information before we chatted, even from the minute that I kind of heard about what you were doing there, it was really clear to me like it was like you were really putting an emphasis on the music being a big part of what you're doing there, you know, all the way down to the, you know, the what do call that little thing in the like the 45 record? Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (13:03.133) Spendle? Yeah, yeah, we call it the Spendle. Yeah. And even when you go inside, the whole ceiling in the bar area is gold records and our menus come in album covers. know, music is very much a part of it. And I think that comes from so many of us being from music and just, you know, we live in an area that has incredible musicians. I'm talking world-class musicians at every level, you know.

Danny Thompson (13:06.414) the spindle logo, you know.

Danny Thompson (13:16.687) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (13:28.517) Sure.

Cooper Gillespie (13:28.819) And it's just wild to me that the only other proper, we only have one proper venue. It was happy. And now there's two. mean, I'm fighting more one open because we need more because we just have such talent in this area.

Danny Thompson (13:35.673) Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, when I moved out here, didn't, that was something I really wasn't that aware of, you know, it was just how many drummers and filmmakers and stuff. And I always tell the story. We were playing a festival in like Portland and I'm talking to a drummer from another band and it turns out he lives like two blocks down the street from me here in 29 Palms. know, it's like, and so yeah, there is a ton of talent out here. We were, you know, we said we'd come back to the bad of.

music venues and you know, I've played everything from, you know, Chuggies Pizza Hut or whatever to, you know, I've played Red Rocks, I've played O2 Academy, Shepard's Bush Academy in London, the big Reading and Leeds festivals, know, everything in between. And some of the best experiences I've had are at, you know, some independent music venues.

I'm so terrible with remembering names and dates. I'm really like my age is creeping in when it comes to that. But in Asheville, North Carolina, I think it's called the Orange Peel. In Maryland, outside of Baltimore, there's just this amazing, still like an independent club that does little things for the bands and the musicians when they're there that just make such a difference.

Cooper Gillespie (14:44.822) Mm-hmm.

Danny Thompson (15:04.272) One thing that always bothered me is when a bar or a restaurant kind of just goes, yeah, we're going to add music. We're going to have some music. It's an afterthought. And then they wonder why it doesn't work. And it's like, okay, you just threw up a crappy PA. It sounds terrible. You're probably driving customers away versus bringing them in because it's not a good experience for the musicians as well as the patrons.

I look forward to getting in there and really seeing just the quality level. Are there things that come to mind for you that you've really thought about when it comes to having it be a high quality music experience for the fans and the patrons as well as the artist?

Cooper Gillespie (15:52.76) 100 % because like you, I've played everything. In fact, one of the places we were taken care of the best was like when we would roll through, was a little town in Wisconsin. We played this kid's basement. his mom would like totally take care of us with like brats and beers. And I feel like it's always bummed me out when I would see, you go to see a show of a band and know how hard they practice, how much blood, sweat and tears they put into.

Danny Thompson (16:07.033) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (16:21.223) the writing and getting these songs up. And then it's like, could tell the sound guy doesn't care or he's just over it, which I'm not saying I don't understand, you know, it's like, they don't sound good. They don't look good. There's just like a plain light on there. And it's just like a bummer because you know, these bands put so much into it. And we definitely put a lot of thought into all sides of that from, know, our sound system is a Meyer sound system. It's top of the line. we, when we got the building, completely

Danny Thompson (16:27.184) Mm-hmm.

Danny Thompson (16:45.753) Right on.

Cooper Gillespie (16:48.789) We hired a guy who does all these big lights for these big shows to come in and relight the whole room so that it looks great for bands, but also for the nights when there's dance nights. We have like an artist menu, so when the bands play there, they get fed, there's beer in the fridge, and depending on what they like, we'll work with them as far as if there's some sort of special thing that they want for the night.

Danny Thompson (17:05.027) Mm-hmm.

Danny Thompson (17:15.426) Cooper Gillespie (17:16.221) and they have their own area, of course, like a green room, we just want, we really wanted everyone.

Danny Thompson (17:20.176) Please tell me they have their own toilet. That's like the greatest thing in the world.

Cooper Gillespie (17:25.039) There's an artist bathroom. We're waiting for the day when we can install a proper artist bathroom with our shower for the touring band. Because I remember touring and I get to a place and I'd like, my God, a shower, yes. So that's down the line. But it's really important to us because, like I said, several of us have been touring musicians for a long time. But also going to see show. One thing that I love about our venue is that the stage is raised. So when you can...

Danny Thompson (17:27.62) Thank Christ.

Danny Thompson (17:32.92) Yeah, there you go.

Danny Thompson (17:38.949) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (17:54.045) Anyone anywhere can see well and we have speakers throughout the room so that no matter where you are, you can also hear very well. And I think that, you know, sometimes it's a bummer when you go to certain venues and it's like, you can't really see cause there's people standing in front of you. And we've thought about all of that because we wanted it to be a great experience on both sides. So yeah.

Danny Thompson (18:08.256) Mm-hmm, sure. That's great.

Yeah. And all those things really help you, you know, draw the good quality bands and the good quality acts. And, know, the word gets around pretty quickly to the booking agents for the bands and stuff. And if the bands are like, that place is great, you know, as they're putting, you know, you know, maybe a regional tour together or something like that, you know, they kind of already know like, Hey, we'll try, we were going through here. We'll try to get into this venue and that venue and that venue and avoid ones that you went to and had just a terrible.

experience, you I've been just so mad sometimes after playing at venue. like, it's so, it's not that hard to like, you know, treat people decent, at least decent and, you know, just simple, simple things. And, you know, we joke about the bathroom thing, but it's like, you know, when a band is on tour, it's like that little things like that are so important. mean, I've played at venues where like,

Cooper Gillespie (18:46.389) Yeah.

Danny Thompson (19:11.032) I always think about that scene from Trainspotting where Ewan McGregor goes into the pub and it says, the sign on the door says, worst toilet in all of Scotland. I've taken pictures backstage and been like, this is pretty close to that, you know? And it's like, do you guys realize this is the only toilet maybe we're gonna have today, you know? Or seven hours ago when we stopped at the truck stop or whatever. And just all those little things that just make you feel...

Cooper Gillespie (19:25.078) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (19:30.24) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (19:38.389) yeah.

Danny Thompson (19:40.177) Again, another place I can't, I'm so bad with the names, but in DC, it's not the 930 club, it's this other place we play. Black Cat. It's got that really cool pie store next door. And they always put a pie, a fresh pie, for the band in the green room. You know, with a little, just a little note on there, and thanks so much for coming, you know, just, and stuff like that. That's awesome, man, thank you.

Cooper Gillespie (19:48.32) Black cat maybe? I don't know. Yeah.

Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (19:59.767) So nice.

Cooper Gillespie (20:06.6) Well, it makes you feel appreciated and gosh when you're touring and you've been in a car for eight hours or a van for eight hours and or a bus for eight hours and you get someplace it's like you're hungry you don't want to have to wait in line with everyone else to use the bathroom I mean it's just like these little things that can just make you feel so appreciated because people don't realize how hard touring is like they think it's just like this fun wild party and it is so much work and you get so tired just like trying to get from point A to point B

Danny Thompson (20:27.042) Yeah, sure.

Cooper Gillespie (20:34.996) and then play your show and then get to the next place, you know, so.

Danny Thompson (20:37.968) Yeah, absolutely. You're 100 % right. well, it sounds really exciting. I can't wait to get in there and see some acts. Give us the rundown. Where should people go to find out like the calendar of events and just who's playing and just all that good stuff.

Cooper Gillespie (20:55.07) Yeah. So you go to mojavegoldessert.com. That's our website and you can make dinner reservations. can book tickets. And one thing to note is that they're kind of, they are kind of separate. So if you want to have dinner before a show, you need to book the dinner reservation and also have tickets for the show. Cause sometimes people get confused about that. And then also on our Instagram, it's just forward. So at Mojavegoldessert, you can see everything that we got coming up too.

Danny Thompson (21:07.525) Okay.

Danny Thompson (21:20.878) Awesome, I'll make sure to put that stuff in the show notes. I just thought of something I forgot to ask, so I'm gonna do this and I'll clip it in. In the edit, tell us a little bit about the menu, this type of food and that we touched a little bit on the quality of the chef, but what's the menu look like?

Cooper Gillespie (21:29.298) Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Cooper Gillespie (21:40.95) The menu's incredible. I would describe it as New California cuisine. So it's dishes that you recognize, but with a little twist. And all of the ingredients are locally sourced. Our chef is very big on, know, all the meat is, you know, happy meat. You know, it all gets to free range and live its best life before it ends up on your plate and the fish is all wild caught.

Danny Thompson (22:03.312) Yeah.

Cooper Gillespie (22:09.398) The vegetables are organic, know, everything is, it's about nourishing your body. And we have wonderful options for vegans and vegetarians, but also lots of good dishes for the meat lovers too. So there's something for everyone. And I think you're going to be really blown away when you try the food because there's nothing like it in the high desert. There's nothing. Yeah. I can say that with 100 % confidence. Yeah.

Danny Thompson (22:28.671) wow. Awesome. That's amazing. I can't wait. can't wait. Cooper, thank you so much for taking time out. Congratulations. I know the grand opening was the 11th. Is that right?

Cooper Gillespie (22:41.174) So 31st of May, we're just about two and a half weeks in now.

Danny Thompson (22:42.768) 31st of May was the opening. Okay. Okay. Awesome. And the music you guys heard, you know, I'm going to clip some music in here. So from one of the bands that recently played at the club. So thank you so much for taking time out. And yeah, I hope to check in with you again down the road. Who knows? I may be, you know, maybe someday I'll be playing there at some point. I'll definitely, I'll definitely be coming to see some, bands for sure. Thank you so much.

Cooper Gillespie (23:07.038) I hope so.

In this episode of the Highway 62 Podcast, host Danny Thompson speaks with Melissa Daniels and Jenn Henry from Dance Mojave, a nonprofit performance collective dedicated to providing no-cost performance opportunities for dancers of all ages and skill levels. They discuss their journey in establishing the collective, the importance of inclusivity in dance, and the joy of community engagement through performances. The conversation also highlights their recent productions, including The Nutcracker and The Planets, and their aspirations for future events that reflect the local culture and ecology. Fundraising efforts and the significance of supporting local arts are also explored, emphasizing the collective's commitment to making dance accessible to everyone.

https://www.instagram.com/dancemojave/

https://www.dancemojave.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacpsn_IApuzSFO34ezGM7sxzpM_cXe1zBAYp8d5jUlXbHeEpSG98JMlktnRyw_aem_KrkrwXx5QHyqsKodru0tVw

takeaways

• Dance Mojave is a nonprofit performance collective.
• They provide no-cost performance opportunities for all ages.
• Inclusivity in dance is a core value of the organization.
• Community engagement is essential for their mission.
• Recent productions include The Nutcracker and The Planets.
• They aim to reflect local culture in their performances.
• Fundraising is crucial for their operations and productions.
• Dance can be a joyful experience for everyone, regardless of age.
• They offer various dance classes for different skill levels.
• The collective fosters a supportive environment for performers.

In this conversation, Barnett English shares his journey from a music enthusiast to the founder of the Joshua Tree Music Festival. He discusses the unique aspects of his festival, including its intimate atmosphere, focus on emerging artists, and family-friendly environment. Barnett also addresses the challenges faced by the festival industry, especially in the wake of recent cancellations, and emphasizes the importance of shared experiences among attendees. The festival's diverse activities and workshops, along with its camping accommodations, contribute to a holistic experience for festival-goers.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Barnett English and the Joshua Tree Music Festival 03:05 Barnett's Journey into Music Festivals 05:58 The Unique Experience of Smaller Festivals 08:47 Artist Selection and Festival Philosophy 12:02 Challenges in the Festival Industry 15:03 The Importance of Shared Experiences 17:57 Family-Friendly Atmosphere at the Festival 20:56 Workshops and Activities Beyond Music 24:03 Logistics of Running a Biannual Festival 27:03 Camping and Accommodations at the Festival 29:55 Final Thoughts and Festival Highlights

Barnett English (00:00.269) Yeah, it wouldn't be my first time.

Danny (00:01.914) And so here we go. All right, Barnett English. Thank you so much for joining me here on the Highway 62 podcast. How are you today?

Barnett English (00:12.377) Fabulous, best day of my life. Thanks for asking. Yeah.

Danny (00:14.235) Every day, right? I love the background there. You got some really cool artwork going behind you. that you in the home office or?

Barnett English (00:19.374) Hmm

Yeah, world headquarters. It's our only headquarters. Yeah, yeah, some killer photos that friends have taken and trinkets and books. Things that inspire.

Danny (00:33.838) Wonderful. Excellent. You are the founder, the creator of the Joshua Tree Music Festival. And I want to talk all about that and, you know, what's in store for this year. But first, I'd like to hear a little bit about your background prior to that and kind of how you found your way into starting a music festival.

Barnett English (00:57.351) Yeah, that's a good question. Gosh, I've been a music junkie my whole life. So I started collecting albums when I was 10 years old. I'd get split albums with my brother and it Sears and Roebuck back in Louisville, Kentucky for five bucks an album. And then made hundreds and hundreds of mixed tapes and spent a really stupid amount of my earnings in my whole life on.

Danny (01:12.044) Yeah.

Barnett English (01:25.927) on records and CDs. So I've always loved music and then started a coffee business back in 93. Started selling coffee at music festivals. And so now 30 years later, I've been to over 1200 music festivals selling coffee. And the first one I went to back in 95, I saw some of my favorite bands and met these friends, people that are still friends today and had the most amazing time.

Danny (01:34.815) okay.

Barnett English (01:51.656) I walked away from that one going, you know, that's all I want to ever do is be at a music festival. This is, this is it. This has got it all, you know? And so here we are 30 years later and I'm still doing it. So I was going to coffee, selling coffee at these festivals. And then on a whim, I came to Joshua tree to the campground on Sun Fair road, the Joshua tree Lake campground, where we have the festival. There was a small didgeridoo gathering there.

And so I came to sell coffee there and I drove in in the middle of the night and didn't see a thing and woke up in the morning and looked out and went, holy smokes, look at this view, know, looking at the national park and, you know, stars all, blinding stars at night. And then, so I mentioned to the folks that own the campground, said, hey, Sally, why don't you have a real music festival here, you know? And more than just didgeridoos, nothing against didgeridoos, but there are more instruments.

Danny (02:29.23) Yeah.

Danny (02:45.913) You should.

Barnett English (02:47.689) So she said, you know, gosh, if you're so smart, why don't you do it yourself? And so she dared me. And so within six months, I'd moved to Joshua Tree, found a home and had our first music festival. And that was April of, April 9 through 11 of 2003, we had our first one. So, so I just fell in love with Joshua Tree instantly.

Danny (03:05.324) Wow.

Danny (03:09.579) It's, know, as you know, from just a little bit of, you know, chatting we had done, I'm a musician myself, so I'm used to, you know, from that musician side of going to big music festivals as a musician. You know, I've played Reading and Leeds and I just got back this weekend, this last weekend, we played Riot Fest in Chicago, which is a huge music festival. And I guess from my standpoint, when you say like,

Barnett English (03:23.506) Yeah.

Barnett English (03:32.349) Right.

Danny (03:37.741) All she wanted to do was go to music. like what in your right mind made you think to go into the music festival business? Because it is it, you know, for people, you know, for fans that just go to watch the music. mean, obviously they see it's a big production and everything, but just what's going on behind the stages, the back end of it is is crazy. You know, I mean, did you know what you were getting into?

Barnett English (03:43.708) right. Yeah.

Barnett English (04:00.06) Madness. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I no, luckily I was very stupid and naive. I never would have started it. You know, I thought what, hard could it be, right? Build a stage, get some bands to play, rent a port -a -let, sell a few tickets. And so yeah, I just went into it super naive, but you know, we always, I always started small and you know, never, never dreamt too big and.

Danny (04:24.343) Yeah.

Barnett English (04:27.671) you know, and never ran up a bill too big that I couldn't, pay back later, by selling some coffee. So, you know, we just built it slowly and organically and, you know, so ours is very different. mean, I've been to every single Coachella, you know, that's massive and, been to all kinds of vessels, big, small, green, purple, red. And I've just, I just always, my big takeaway is, I love the ones that are a little more small. You know, they're smaller. So like you and I, we'd run into each other.

Danny (04:52.993) Yeah.

Barnett English (04:56.683) 25 times over the course of 72 hours, having breakfast in the mornings, around the campfire at night, and as opposed to at the Riot Fest, if we dropped a pin and we're lucky to know how to do that, then maybe we could find each other.

Danny (04:57.898) Yes. Right, right.

Danny (05:09.408) Yeah, I mean, was a gargantuan gargantuan event. And, know, you've got the crossover of bands. So, you know, and there was people there from, you know, all kind of bands that weren't playing that they were just there, you know, to just hang out and stuff like that. And it was tough for even them to be like, I want to come see you guys, but I got to get over to this stage. You know, I want to see this band. And and I think my experience has been playing some smaller

Barnett English (05:11.933) Yeah.

Barnett English (05:17.736) Yeah.

Barnett English (05:32.842) Yeah.

Danny (05:38.878) festivals have been where I've had the most fun. All props to Riot Fest, though. you know, not that anyone from Riot Fest will hear this podcast probably, but that probably was the best run big festival we've ever played. Like everything was dialed and the sound and the production, you know, for for you as a band, you know, like playing in the band, there is nothing worse than going to a festival and

Barnett English (05:44.544) Yeah.

Barnett English (05:53.683) Yeah, cool.

Barnett English (05:58.262) Nice.

Danny (06:07.896) You know, a lot of times, too, if you're not like the main headline band, you know, you're probably not doing a sound check. You're still wanting to use in -ear monitors. And, you know, we bring our own in -ear monitor rig and, you know, 20 minute changeover. And sometimes it's like, you know, you got 20 minutes, you turn on your in -ears and you're like, I'm hearing, you know, whatever craziness. I did a whole festival recently with zero monitors, nothing in my ear and nothing on the stage because they couldn't get it hooked up.

Barnett English (06:14.434) Yeah.

Barnett English (06:22.796) That's crazy.

Barnett English (06:33.583) my gosh.

Danny (06:37.036) But Riot Fest, man, it was so pro. Like I turned on my in -ears and it was like, I'm like listening to a record right now. It was so good. So when it's good like that, it's really amazing. But most of the time it doesn't go like that for the musicians. And

Barnett English (06:41.44) Yeah.

Barnett English (06:47.691) Yeah, it's nice.

Barnett English (06:55.246) Yeah, I go to a lot of the festivals and it's like that where they, you know, they just have unrealistic schedules and unrealistic change over times. And, know, so from the very beginning, we just always had two stages. we'd alternate from one stage to the other. So you have a full two hours to completely set up, check your in -ear monitors, make sure everything's sweet. And meanwhile, the crowd is all together at the other stage. And then when they finish, literally you just turn 90 degrees and you look, and then you start 15 minutes later. So.

Danny (07:08.063) Yep.

Danny (07:21.995) Yeah. Right, right.

Barnett English (07:24.501) It does a couple of things. makes life better for the musicians and the artists. So they do a better show, but it also makes it a better experience for those in attendance because we all get to see you and your band and we have this shared experience now. So like at midnight that night, we can both go, my God, did you see that drummer Danny do that backflip? That was crazy. know, and we all, right now we're past the backflip stage of our careers.

Danny (07:45.654) There will be no backflips from me.

Danny (07:52.374) Yeah, I did a 45 minute bike ride today and I'm like, God.

Barnett English (07:53.295) You know, but the main thing is, wow, that's 44 minutes longer than I have done. But you know, it's that shared experience, I think, that really makes people bond and get even closer. know, not only are you and I interacting many times over the course of the weekend, but now we're having these shared magical experiences. So it's not like I was at one stage and you were at another. And we actually might as well have been at two different shows, because we were. You know, so we don't have that shared thing. And that's like a big deal.

Danny (08:19.719) Yeah.

Barnett English (08:23.31) I think that's one of the big things that people drive away with and going, God, we really connected. We really had a real analog human experience. And I think the world needs more of that.

Danny (08:34.451) Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Tell us a little bit about like your thought process from the standpoint of the type of artists that you're booking for this festival, because it is a little bit different.

Barnett English (08:47.791) Yeah, definitely so. gosh, since the very beginning, I've always been really into finding artists that are on the rise, haven't made it big and haven't, the whole world doesn't know about them. There's two reasons behind that, number one, because I think a lot of those artists are, they're hungry, they're living and breathing it, they're sleeping in their van together, they're just really putting on amazing shows.

The other part being, of course, I could never afford large major headliner bands, but I really don't even want to go there. So it makes it, it's a bad business model, but now that we've been doing it for so many years, our regular attendees just come up to me. A lot of them say, Hey, you don't even need to have a website, man. We don't know any of these freaking bands. We love them. And now you got us. So, so we just look for artists that are on the rise and it really.

Danny (09:37.589) Ha ha!

Barnett English (09:46.022) You know, there's no specific genre. mean, we've had bands from jam bands from South Korea and Mongolian heavy metal bands and, you know, all over the world. And it's really just, is the artist super compelling and do they put on an amazing live show? And then the genre doesn't even freaking matter. And how many Facebook and Instagram followers they have doesn't even matter. I don't look any of that stuff up. It's really just, wow, you know, are they going to blow us all away?

That's what I go for.

Danny (10:15.722) Yeah, Yeah, it's I mean, it's a really interesting from me also being a small business owner. It's an interesting thought process because, know, obviously, probably you have the connections and you know the people that if you wanted to book one big headlining act, you could do it. Doing it the way that a lot of festivals do, which is, you know, we'll give them a deposit, but, know, really, we can't pay this band until after the.

Barnett English (10:33.295) Yeah. Yeah, for sure.

Danny (10:44.502) festival tickets have been sold. And we again, you know, we we were in a festival in Australia that we, you know, 90 percent of the bands ended up not getting paid, you know, because that risk, that bet that the promoter had made went south and he was he was paying bands from the previous festival he did with the new festival. But there there's this, you know.

Barnett English (10:46.086) Yeah.

Barnett English (10:55.874) man, yeah, that's a bummer.

Barnett English (11:01.989) Yep.

Barnett English (11:06.513) Yeah.

Danny (11:11.956) Like you're saying, you know, don't really want to go down that road, you know, keeping it at this smaller level. You've found an interesting way to make it work for you, work for the bands, work financially without having to have quite that, you know, level of risk and stress. would imagine that these these promoters that are doing these multimillion dollar shows are dealing with.

Barnett English (11:21.916) Yeah.

Barnett English (11:31.122) Yeah!

Barnett English (11:36.948) Yeah. you know, and I think this year we're seeing, we're seeing, I mean, I've been going to music festivals for 30 years actively and I've never seen the, many festivals cancel ever. So this year has there are, could name a gosh, if I started putting a list together, it'd be easily a hundred major festivals in the U S and same in Europe. They've all gone belly up this year. And it's, I think it's two things. Number one, obviously times are tough.

Danny (11:49.747) Mmm, okay.

Danny (12:02.248) Wow!

Barnett English (12:07.157) not just for a lot of us, but for most of us, you know, like I can't afford to go to a music festival with my, my sweetheart and take five days off of work and drive 400 miles and buy food. And, you know, it's an expensive endeavor. So I think that the prices have gone super crazy high for the times we're in, but then also there's a, you know, a huge over saturation. There's tons of festivals everywhere. So, but this year there's been a major correction and, and it's been kind of,

Danny (12:32.82) Huh, interesting.

Barnett English (12:35.856) because the costs have gone up in these last two years post COVID. The costs of everything have gone crazy. So we're actually selling more tickets in May, our last festival. The revenue goes up, but so do the expenses. So it's a crazy business.

Danny (12:52.627) Yeah, I mean, yeah, it's a, you know, it's a cycle that that kind of feeds everything. I mean, you know, not to go down like a totally different road, but the conglomeration of, you know, corporate interest, you know, again, coming from the standpoint of a band, you know, Live Nation owning everything and all these venues. A big change that, you know, we saw like a year or so ago was Live Nation saying, by the way, now you got to provide your own insurance.

Barnett English (13:14.035) Yeah.

Danny (13:23.209) you know, to the bands and the bands are like, what are you doing? You're you know, you're taking and I think these are things, you know, that that, you know, the fans don't really get that back end viewpoint of what it's like to try to financially be successful as a music promoter or a midsize club owner. Right.

Barnett English (13:23.817) my gosh, are you serious? my gosh.

Barnett English (13:31.593) Wow, I've never heard that. That's crazy.

Barnett English (13:48.499) Yeah, yeah, the cook.

Danny (13:48.851) You know, the independent those independent clubs that aren't live nation, that your tickets aren't going through Ticketmaster. And those are some of the best clubs. Those are some of the best run clubs that when we go on tour, those are the kind of clubs again that sometimes they'll just have the best sound guy working there, you know, and just like great fans in the club. You know, the dressing room's nice and the from, know, the hospitality people want to take actually, you know, care about the band.

Barnett English (13:58.007) Right.

Barnett English (14:11.658) Yeah, they've got their... they've got their own...

Barnett English (14:17.249) Yeah, they got their own organic, super groovy vibe, know? mean, because the people that work there really are living it. It's like, it's their thing. You know, they love it. know, a corporation can't love something that much. They can build a killer place, but can they really, will that love come through? you know, so yeah, it's unfortunate for a lot of the club owners and like you said, smaller venues, it's tough.

Danny (14:20.296) Yeah.

Danny (14:33.256) But it...

Danny (14:38.281) And I think, you know, from the standpoint of the the the fan, the music fan going to see a show, you know, again, you see the band, maybe they're playing, you know, a House of Blues sized venue or, you know, something like that and thinking, wow, you know, these guys, they're making a ton of money and this is amazing. And, you know, not realizing like the cut that goes to your management, the cut that goes to the booking agent.

Barnett English (15:03.326) Yeah.

Danny (15:04.596) The venue wants 20 % of your merchandise sales. I mean, things like that. mean, it's just, you know, it's crazy on that back end. And it's just sort of you know, self -fulfilling prophecy here of the price, know. So, of course, then the ticket prices need to go up and then, you know, it's just this reoccurring nightmare that we're all sort of dealing with. But yeah, it is ridiculous to try to go to a festival price wise. I mean, it's out of control.

Barnett English (15:09.131) Yeah, wow.

Barnett English (15:25.056) Yeah.

Barnett English (15:33.081) Yeah. And my heart goes out to all the musicians that, you know, I just don't know how anyone makes a living creating the art that they're, you know, they're, you know, they're, they're not just wanting to do it. They have to do it. You know, you're an artist. gotta, this is in you, you know, you want to put this stuff out and this is what you want to do. And so to make a living out of, just don't know how people got to be so savvy and frugal and, you know, wear 40 hats, you know, you got to be your, your own so

Danny (15:59.54) Yes. Yeah, you pivot. Yeah, you pivot. You do different things, you know. I mean, yeah, it's certainly different like the way that we look at touring now versus years ago. You know, we do more special event type things, you know, to give the fan like a really unique experience. For example, probably one of my favorite things we've ever done this last December, we did three nights.

Barnett English (16:12.834) Mm -hmm.

Barnett English (16:22.112) Yeah.

Danny (16:28.838) at the Overlook Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, you know, like the Shining Hotel. And there is an old music hall there on the stage where the drums are set up. There was a trap door that they had built for when Harry Houdini was going to perform there. And I was like, OK, this is amazing. But, you know, so we did like an out on complete album.

Barnett English (16:33.068) cool. Yeah.

Barnett English (16:47.053) That's amazing.

Danny (16:53.34) We did, you know, a different album each night, and then we'd take a break and come back and do another full set of music and then do a VIP event every night. So people could, you know, buy like a hotel package and the VIP tickets. And it became like a complete experience. But we found like, you know, that you kind of have to do more of those kind of things as opposed to just like, we're going to do a US tour and a bus and play a bunch of House of Blues type venues or something, you know, it's.

Barnett English (17:00.291) Yeah.

Barnett English (17:08.621) Yes.

Barnett English (17:13.56) Yeah.

Barnett English (17:19.683) Yeah, I think that's a great, that's a super great model. You know, you can really appeal to your super fan and just say, hey, come spend a weekend with us in this killer location. We're going to do four or five super far out weird shows. We're going to, know, like you say, do this one album one night and, you know, costume the next night. And that's a great way of really, you know, just kind of mining the, your fans, the ones that really freaking love you, you know, it's impossible to go out and try to conquer the world anymore. That's just crazy.

Danny (17:43.889) Yeah.

Danny (17:47.805) Yeah.

Barnett English (17:48.62) You know, the world is too fragmented and disjointed. but yeah, appealing to your own fans like that is killer. That's a great, great model.

Danny (17:57.831) You know, the Joshua Tree Music Festival was voted the number one music festival in the United States by USA Today. What other you know, what are some of the other things that make it so unique?

Barnett English (18:10.332) Good question. And just for the record, I did actually vote for ourselves on that, on that Reader's Choice Award. I think I voted multiple times. But yeah, what makes it special is again, it's kind of like this living breathing organism and I try to keep it, you know, we don't want it to get too big, you know, because I think having a few thousand people out there is really a great size. Again, it becomes this, it's more the experience and the humor and interaction and the shared experiences that we have.

Danny (18:19.676) Sure, why not?

Barnett English (18:40.253) that make it unique. And then we also more than, like I said, I've been to over 1200 music festivals and we make it a family friendly experience. it's like five, 600 kids come and it's super action packed for the kids. So if the kids are having fun, then mom and dad can also have fun because just because you're a parent doesn't mean you don't like to rock and roll still.

Danny (19:02.395) Yeah.

Barnett English (19:07.826) But making it super kid friendly and really meaning that not just putting out a little sandbox and a couple of plastic toys. mean, we have this action packed part of the festival that really is the heartbeat of the festival. So I think that that's part of it, but it's also just really laid back. There's no long lines. You don't watch a band on the Jumbotron. You can walk right up to the front of the stage. You know, you don't have to get your bags checked by the guys in yellow jackets. You know, it's just really laid back. it's

We get a lot of people that actually come up to me and just go, Hey, you know what? We don't go to music festivals, but we come to this one. You know? So, it's just unique in that it's, think it's just smaller, more intimate and, and, you know, but still have some killer music to really inspire people.

Danny (19:43.11) Hahaha

Danny (19:54.887) Yeah. You know, you kind of started to mention a little bit and I had wrote it down besides the music. What you know, there's you do other things, right, for people to do and for the kids and stuff. What are some of those things about?

Barnett English (20:02.047) Yeah. Yeah. Man, I just was going over the schedule for our next festival. We have over 99 different movement or mindfulness or merriment type workshops or play shops. So they might be a music play shop or a dance class or yoga class. We have a grief cafe and

AA meetings in a queer salon where we have counseling and drag bingo with the lovely Lady Shalane. She comes out to grace us and entertain us. So a lot of people really love that. In fact, you know, it's kind of a revelation because I've been going to festivals for so long and I'm such a music freak that I just go straight to the front of the stage and stay there all day. You know, go to the bathroom, get some food.

Danny (20:32.603) Hmm.

Barnett English (20:56.543) get something to drink, come back. But I just focus on the music. But so many people tell me that, no, we spent all day around the lake and we didn't, we just went to play shops all day. Cause that's where we actually really get to meet and connect with people. Cause they sat in this group with 12 people and they like poured their hearts out or learned something new together. Well, now they're friends for the rest of the weekend. Like they're tight. So it adds to that whole shared experience and then getting to connect with people. So.

Danny (21:05.776) Hmm.

Barnett English (21:24.956) We've really made that a big part of our whole weekend. So yeah, there's a lot beyond the music.

Danny (21:29.298) Cool. Yeah, yeah, I think, yeah, I could definitely see where that would kind of just add to that, you know, that overall mystique and, you know, just thing that sets it apart from so many other music festivals. You know, we started to talk a little bit about the behind the scenes and the logistics and stuff now. And this is a twice a year festival, correct? So you do May and October.

Barnett English (21:49.791) Yeah.

Barnett English (21:53.921) Yeah, every May, every May and October. Yeah, we started that first one in spring of 2003. And then in 2006, we had our first fall festival because it was kind of like Christmas. I couldn't wait all year for Santa to come again. So whether it was a great idea or not at the beginning, I was like, well, let's do one in the fall too. So ever since 2006, we've had a fall one. So this will actually be the 41st time we've had a festival.

Danny (22:09.201) Okay.

Barnett English (22:24.673) Two of those are virtual and one was a socially distant concert series back in pandemic times. But so yeah, it's a lot. you know, so it's basically a year round kind of thing. And I'm always, you know, like I'm bands now for the May and October Festival of 2025. And so it's a constant thing. Yeah.

Danny (22:29.618) Right. Yeah. Yeah.

Danny (22:41.17) Okay, that's kind of what I was gonna, yeah, I was kind of interested to just get a little feedback there on, know, just obviously it's a full -time thing for you, you know, and I think it must be difficult, you know, for people that kind of just have a regular job to think about being in that position where like, you're working every day on something that's going to happen a year from now, you know, or eight months from now, you know, and.

Barnett English (23:06.229) Yeah, yeah, it's kind of crazy.

Danny (23:10.235) But I guess we all know how quickly, especially as you get older, that'll seem like the blink of an eye and you'll be having a festival.

Barnett English (23:15.477) Yeah, no doubt. Yeah, but it is like, you know, with our festival being two weeks away, I am actually, when I get, you know, within two or three weeks of the festival, I become all reinvigorated about it because there's these bands that are playing that I booked like nine months ago and not having, I haven't forgotten about them, but then I'm, now I'm like interacting with them and working out a bunch of the details. And so now I'm getting excited again. I'm going,

damn, these guys are gonna be amazing. it's kind of fun. And when it gets closer to the event, I start getting super, super charged up and have trouble sleeping.

Danny (23:53.337) Yeah. Tell us a little bit about because like you said, there's an October upcoming event here. Tell us about this October festival.

Barnett English (24:03.044) Yeah, it's, it's a October 10 through 13 and, and we, we start, the festivities kick off on Thursday evening. So a lot of people actually come on Wednesday night and set up camp and chill out and sit under the stars. And then, but by Thursday evening, we've got music happening and then Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it's all day and night music and workshops and play shops and kids bill activities. So, you know, a lot of people come in on.

on Wednesday and then they leave on Monday. So they've been there for a while, you know? So like it's five days and nights and a lot of meals of camping outside together and hanging out. so it's, you know, it's an investment in time for people. So I'm always really grateful and honored that so many people show up and keep coming back.

Danny (24:50.19) Yeah, yeah. You know, so you mentioned camping, which is always a huge part of these music festivals. And I don't know how like the European music fans do it, but they they will will camp in a muddy field in its four days of pouring rain. And when I'm playing one of those, just like that you you you couldn't pay me enough.

Barnett English (25:06.391) Yeah.

Right?

Danny (25:16.132) to go do, you know, what these people are doing to watch these bands play. is so do you do packages that kind of involve like camping as well as a ticket? Or how do you kind of how does the customer go about?

Barnett English (25:17.612) Yeah, I

No doubt.

Barnett English (25:27.749) Yeah, well people come in all shapes and sizes and they camp out in all different ways. Some people come and sleep in their cars and some sleep on the ground, literally on a bed roll and then all types of tents and then the trailers and RVs and then we have some RV hookups and then we have a bunch of, probably close to 40 now, old trailers that we keep.

dragging home and refurbishing them. So they have an air conditioner and a cozy mattress and lights and we paint them up all funky. And so we brought those out to some folks. so yeah, it's all shapes and sizes out there in the campground.

Danny (25:59.691) my God. Yeah.

Cool.

Danny (26:11.671) So so somebody who wants to come to the festival, can they do like a package, you know, where they're getting admission, but also maybe renting this camper or just getting a camp spot? Are those all kind of packaged together?

Barnett English (26:17.806) Mm.

Barnett English (26:24.966) Well, actually, if you just buy the ticket, you can come in and camp with your tent for free. And then if you want to bring your vehicle in, you just buy a vehicle pass. we keep it pretty simple and pretty straight. Yeah. And if you want to rent the trailer, then that's a different fee. But one thing we do is we don't, know, we're kind of, we're all free range humans. don't have any, we don't have any VIPs because I think we're all VIPs.

Danny (26:35.073) Okay, people simple, yeah.

Barnett English (26:51.813) You know, and I go to a lot of festivals and they have a VIP section that's the closest you can get is 40 feet from the stage, you know, and, unless you've paid to be in the VIP section. And I think it kind of kills the whole intention of gum going to a festival as we came to be together and now you're separating us. So we've never done that.

Danny (26:55.939) sure sure

Danny (27:03.504) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's yeah. And some of that is, again, a response to bands looking at different ways from a financial standpoint, because we've we've been doing we've been doing a bunch of the final no effects shows. I think we did 10 of 10 of them as like.

Barnett English (27:21.221) Mm -hmm.

yeah.

Danny (27:32.103) you know, it'd be like us Pennywise no effects. so no effects there. They're wrapping up. think they have five more shows and then they're, calling it quits. And so, yeah, they were selling like, you know, on stage access and different kinds of things. And I think a lot of that is just like the band figuring out like, okay, how do we, you know, how can we maximize it? You know, so I, I sympathize with the band, but at the same time, again, it's like, yeah, are we.

Barnett English (27:46.805) yeah.

Barnett English (27:56.037) Yeah, for sure.

Danny (28:00.857) taking something away from just kind of the original experience of just going and everybody's in the room and you know, or in that field, right, right. Nobody's special.

Barnett English (28:07.753) We're all there together, know? Yeah, yeah, we stick with, yeah, yeah, we're all special. We're all special for sure. So yeah, we don't do that because I just feel like it really does kind of, it is a bit of a vibe kill, so to speak. I mean, I just love that, you know, everybody's right up there on the dance floor together and it's really kind of hysterical. I mean, I look around and I kind of crack up. I have a lot of friends that are my age, I'm 61 and they'll go, yeah, man, we're, you know, we're too old. We don't go to music festivals. I'm like.

I've got 80 year old friends that dance circles around my ass out there. So it's really, really refreshing to see folks of all ages at our festival from the kids that are running around to the, it's unique. I don't see that a lot at other festivals.

Danny (28:40.376) Sure, sure.

Danny (28:53.794) Well, it sounds amazing. mean, I haven't been to the festival. I'd love to come to one. And the way you describe it, too, it just seems very fitting for the area, you know, for how a lot of things work in, you know, the Morongo Basin, that area out there. It is, you know, a little bit different mindset with some of these things, you know.

Barnett English (29:04.466) Yeah.

Barnett English (29:14.674) Yeah, for sure, for sure. And I love the mindset and I love, you know, I was listening to your interview with the folks that are putting on the film festival, the queer film festival. you know, and then you guys were talking about like, wow, when we first moved here, I just didn't realize how many people, how many artisans are out here. And it's true, they're just, it's for per capita, there's so many talented artists out here.

Danny (29:26.194) yeah, yeah.

Danny (29:36.28) Yeah.

Barnett English (29:42.921) I go to a party with 30 people and I feel like I'm the only person that can't play an instrument really well or paint or sculpt or something, you know, like it's that thick. And so that's another really cool thing about, you know, the town that we live in. I love it.

Danny (29:46.67) Hahaha

Danny (29:55.342) Yeah, I think on that I think on that episode, I said that that, you know, I was like two or three weeks earlier, like playing a festival in Portland, you know, one of these big no effects festivals. And I'm backstage hanging out with another drummer who lives three blocks from me in 29 Palms. You know, it's just like and yeah, it I yeah, it is an amazing amount of artists out there. And that's part of what just makes as part of the charm for sure.

Barnett English (30:13.112) that's great. That's so great.

Barnett English (30:24.945) Yeah, for sure. I love it.

Danny (30:27.094) Well, I will make sure in the show notes to put the website and just all the information that people need who want to see what the schedule looks like and just get more information and want to come out. But I mean, you know, if you're in the Southern California area and hearing this and you haven't been out to the Joshua Tree area, especially in this kind of like mid -October time frame, like that, that's the golden.

Barnett English (30:35.891) Yay!

Barnett English (30:52.967) Yeah.

Danny (30:54.913) You're hitting the golden months there where it's just unreal, magical, like perfect, unreal weather. You know, come out, watch some great music, bunch of great places to go eat, you know, just I guarantee people are going to have amazing time. So.

Barnett English (30:57.498) It's pretty sweet, yeah.

Barnett English (31:12.973) Thank you so much, Danny. I really appreciate it. I love what you're doing and getting a lot of these stories out. You know, like we were talking, there's so many artists up here and for you to be chatting them up and sharing their stories, I think is really, is a great thing. Cause I think people can't really find out, people can't really figure out what's going on up here. I think you could drive up and down highway 62 and go, what's going on here? So these types of things are awesome.

Danny (31:28.194) Thank you.

Danny (31:37.549) Yeah. Yeah. You know, when I when I first moved out, my brother, you know, he was talking to, think, somebody in my band. came to see us in Chicago. He saying, yeah, the first time I flew in to see, you know, go to Danny's house at Christmas, I thought, man, this this area is weird, you know? And then the second time I came back, I was like, it's kind of kind of interesting, kind of cool. And the third time I came back, I'm like, man, it is really cool out here, you know? And I think that's the experience that a lot of people.

Barnett English (31:55.371) Yeah.

Barnett English (32:03.808) Yeah, yeah, totally.

Danny (32:07.222) you know, have as they come out and come out more often and just, you know, experience some of the everything that there is to offer out there. So, yeah, I'm trying to do my little part in just highlighting the cool stories and the cool people and and, you know, and just some of the cool history as well that is out in the area. So I really appreciate your time and I hope you have a great successful festival.

Barnett English (32:22.572) I love it.

Barnett English (32:34.901) Awesome, thank you so much brother, I really appreciate it. Take care. All right, bye bye. Yeah.

Danny (32:36.949) My pleasure. All right. Thank you, man. I appreciate it. I think we hit everything important. Okay. Okay, cool.

Barnett English (32:45.397) Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah.

Summary

Graham Kolbeins and Jonathan Andre Culliton, founders of the 29 Queer Film Fest, discuss their backgrounds as filmmakers and the inspiration behind the festival. They talk about the films being showcased, including world premieres and queer horror shorts. The festival is designed to create a space for queer stories and foster the filmmaking community in the high desert area. They also discuss the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community in the area and the support they have received from local businesses and organizations.

Visit the webiste HERE

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background 04:10 Inception of the 29 Queer Film Fest 06:01 Film Highlights and Gala Events 08:35 Festival Schedule and Venues 11:31 Attending the Film Fest: Tips for Newcomers 13:46 Future Plans and Fostering the Filmmaking Community 15:01 Acceptance and Support in the High Desert 17:28 Closing Remarks and Event Details

Danny (00:01.779) All right, Graham Cole Beans and Jonathan Andre Coliton. Coliton, thanks for being on the Highway 62 podcast. How are you guys today?

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (00:02.208) Yeah.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (00:10.902) Thank you for having us. great. Yeah, we're doing good.

Danny (00:16.915) Awesome. And you guys are the founders, right, of the first ever inaugural 29 Queer Film Fest that's happening in September the 20th and 22nd. Before we get into a little bit about the actual Film Fest and kind of what it's all about, give me just a brief little background on each of you.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (00:24.214) Thank

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (00:40.758) Sure. So we're both filmmakers and I'll just start talking about myself. I'm mostly a documentary filmmaker though I've recently started doing some narrative filmmaking. I shot a short film here in 29 Palms in June called Outage that I'm currently in post -production on.

Danny (00:50.707) Ha

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (01:07.688) I'm pretty deeply involved in film and when we came out here... Can I roll that back a little bit? Okay, great, I just lost my train of thought. Sorry. Yeah, so I'm a filmmaker, a videographer.

Danny (01:20.669) Sure. I can edit anything too, it's fine.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (01:33.654) and I'm a queer person in 29 palms and those all informed co -founding this festival. I'm also... Sorry? Where are you originally from? I was born in Vancouver, Canada.

Danny (01:43.315) Where are you originally from?

Danny (01:48.648) Where are you originally from?

Danny (01:53.467) Okay. Right on. I love Vancouver. I was just, I was just in, I've been to Canada a lot lately. I was in Toronto last weekend and the weekend before I was in Edmonton. So I spent a lot of time in the Kenyatta.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (01:57.504) Yeah, that's a great place.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (02:06.143) I'm cool.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (02:10.142) Nice. What were you doing in Toronto?

Danny (02:13.043) I play in a band, so we're playing some festivals up there. But yeah, we do a lot of Canadian shows. Graham, what about you?

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (02:16.319) Awesome.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (02:21.11) me? You mean Jonathan, yes. That's okay. No, I'm a born and bred Bostonian with all the details. But yeah, I'm also a filmmaker. Currently I'm rolling out a couple of films.

Danny (02:24.967) Jonathan, I'm sorry, your buys are both Canadian.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (02:43.542) Spookable which played at the Maryland Film Festival in frame 48 and is about to play at Prism 37. And then I have Will It Justice Drag Queen Private Eye which is showing, both of those films are showing actually at the 29 Queer Film Festival and that film stars Lady Shalane who is the premier high desert drag queen of our current timeline.

Danny (03:12.083) Yeah, Yeah, she was one of my first guests on the podcast, like second or third episode ever. Right on. How did you guys how did you guys end up settling in the 29 Palms area?

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (03:13.462) Amazing. She's really special.

Yeah, so I moved out here four years ago from Los Angeles. It was during the pandemic. I had lost work and I had always wanted to move to the high desert but never really thought that it was feasible. But in that moment an opportunity became available. A friend said, hey, I have a cabin that just opened up and I moved into that cabin in July 2020. And I've

just loved living here ever since. Yeah, and then I followed Graham because I fell in love with them so I just followed. I just came out here to be closer to them.

Danny (04:01.949) Right on.

Danny (04:10.449) Very nice, very nice. So tell me about kind of the inception and the idea and how it came to be that you put this film festival together.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (04:20.438) Yeah, well we both were mentees in Workshop 29, which was a program out of PAC, the Arts Council here. And we both were encouraged to do programming. They wanted people to think about all ages programming and

programming for different identities basically. So we were encouraged to do some sort of event which isn't really natural to our filmmaking careers except for film festivals. know, that's sort of the place that Archive gathers. So we thought, you know, this is an opportunity not only to make an event here, which is the first of its kind here.

but also to create a film festival from the perspective of being filmmakers who have been at film festivals and had varying experiences. And as you know, we have such a beautiful place to offer, but no movie theater here. the idea of sharing film...

Danny (05:36.326) Yeah, right.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (05:40.678) and making a place for it, a literal physical place where you can sit in a comfortable chair and watch it in a dark room as it's intended is something we thought was really special that we could give the entire community.

Danny (06:01.023) on. Sounds great. What tell us a little bit about some of the films maybe I know there's quite a bit on the agenda there I read through the press release but maybe give us what you think is going to be a few of just sort of the highlights of the you know the Cup multi -day event.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (06:16.182) Yeah, so we're showing 30 films over three days, including three feature films. Yeah, the features are sort of can't miss. You've got a world premiere of Poppy's Pregnant, which is the story of our friend, trans -MAC non -binary person getting pregnant. Then you've got People's Joker, already an iconic film from Vera Drew.

And then we've got Off Ramp to Cabot Off, which is a film with a trans actor, but it's about juggalos, if you know anything about insane clown posse. So these are unusual queer stories. So the features are really can't miss to me. And then what else do we have? We have a queer horror program full of shorts from around the world. We have

Danny (06:59.955) Yeah, yeah.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (07:11.104) Bears, Lesbians, and Queers, My, which is an eclectic program with all kinds of different representation. And one of our other gala events is the premiere of Willa Justice Drag Queen Private Eye, along with a performance by Lady Shalane and Drag Bingo, which she does all around the high desert. And Free Eye Fall to Pizzas. Pizza.

Danny (07:37.247) yeah. Give us a little bit of just kind of like the schedule, because I know there's different events. There's a couple different venues involved. I've attended a film festival. went to the Yucca Valley Film Festival this year. you know what, it's something that I'm really enjoying about living out in the area there is, I mean, first of all, when I moved out there,

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (08:04.115) It was.

Danny (08:06.463) I just didn't expect there to be so much arts going on. know, even though I knew like other drummers and other musicians that had moved out to the area, but it's been so great to just kind of get involved with, you know, the community. And I think because it's a little bit smaller area, it's easier to attend these different events and, you know, versus like going to like a big film festival in Austin or in L .A. or, you know, any of those kind of things. So I'm really enjoying that. And

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (08:22.602) you

Danny (08:34.451) If you've never been to a film festival, I mean, I've been a movie film fanatic ever since my cinema study class in high school in 1984 back in Chicago. And I never went to a film fest until I went to the Yucca Valley one this, this year, you know, so it's a really cool experience. And if you haven't been to one before, I would just really recommend people to, to check something like that out. But anyway, give us kind of a rundown. Where is it happening?

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (08:35.871) you

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (08:43.722) Thank you.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (09:02.186) Anyway.

Danny (09:04.347) a little rundown of like the schedule and how it all works.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (09:07.51) Sure, yeah, to your point we're making it so it's like everything's within like 10 minutes of each other and that makes a really great film festival experience and in my experience so yeah we have theater 29 as the main hub of the festival 99 % of the programming happens there we have an after dark 18 plus show

on the night of Saturday the 20th, 21st, that is at corner 62 and then out on the patio. And then we have a after party on the 20th at Out There Bar which is totally free and cross event with Tits and Palms. So it's mostly at Theater 29.

and that's a great venue for theater out here. We have a projection situation there that's really comfortable and beautiful. So it's mostly there and the food vendors will be there as well. So the fun will be brought to there and people can kind of hang around there for hours. Yeah, and unlike bigger festivals that have like maybe three or four different screenings happening simultaneously,

Everything's happening like in a linear fashion so you could go to every program if you wanted to and we're trying to make the Theater 29 experience really cool so there's going to be a prop exhibit with props from a bunch of the different movies and themed snacks and all kinds of fun stuff. Yeah, every day has a gala event, a feature, and a shorts block so there's something really big happening every day.

Danny (10:32.935) Gotcha.

Danny (10:55.717) Wonderful. All right. And this might seem like almost like a silly question. But again, this is my experience, you know, like when I go to a website to check out a film fest and I think this is something for somebody who's never been to one before, it can be a little confusing, like, OK, what do I pay for? What day should you know, like how is it organized? What day do I go to? You know, obviously this is, as you're explaining, a little bit more condensed.

running linear like you said makes it a lot easier. Give like the simplest explanation to an absolute total film fest newbie and maybe even a recommendation of how they should go about doing it.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (11:31.414) We'll right back.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (11:38.07) Well, you do want to go to all of the programming, you want to buy the pass and you want to wait for the pass because we have a little small town glitch that made the passes not go up immediately. So I'd say wait for the pass. The passes are limited because we have a limited capacity venue. So we have to limit the amount that we can block out for that.

Danny (11:51.377) Hahaha

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (12:03.26) So if you don't want to go to quite all of them, would say go on the website and choose those four programs. It's going to be less than the past, but you'll only be paying for what you're actually seeing. Yeah, check out 29qff .com for the full event listing and links to buy tickets to each of the programs.

Danny (12:31.677) sounds good. Ali will make sure that I put in the show notes here on the podcast, all those kind of links and everything for people to check it out. It sounds like it's going to be a fun event. What do you guys got planned in the future? Are you thinking that far down the road yet with this stuff?

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (12:38.336) Thank you.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (12:48.212) Yeah, we all, yeah, they really encouraged us to do that at the mentorship to really think about this as a start of more programming. we envisioned that not only will the film festival be a banner for more filmmaking programming, for film, more film going programming, but also filmmaking, because that's what we sort of started doing out here anyway.

You know, we walked out to all these beautiful, like, mountains and stuff, and we were like, why aren't we shooting? Why are we finding excuses for stories to happen here more and more? So as we work through the festival and as we, you know, get more youth programming going in the high desert, I think it's an invaluable thing for us to bring filmmaking into that, to give people a great skill if they want to leave the area to go.

to Los Angeles to make with what is left of the industry there. They have that opportunity too, but there's plenty starting to happen out here and in different communities all over the country with independent filmmaking. So that's my personal vision for it. don't know if you... Yeah, we really want to encourage and foster the filmmaking community here in the high desert.

Danny (14:02.983) Yeah. Yeah.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (14:15.67) Hopefully we'll be doing this festival every year. We were really grateful to receive a grant from the T -Bid, the Tourism Bureau here in 29 Palms. Hopefully they'll continue to support our efforts. We've received a number of amazing sponsorships from local businesses, including Son of the Desert.

Danny (14:28.401) Mmm

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (14:43.562) We've got Ace Desert Hardware, Maso Menos, The Station. So it's been really just encouraging to see the amount of support in the community.

Danny (14:49.554) Woohoo!

Danny (15:01.083) Wonderful. You know, I wanted to ask you guys just as a personal note for you, you know, from your perspective, moving out to, you know, the high desert area, Murongo Basin, how do you find the area as it relates to, you know, being queer or, you know, the LGBTQ plus community, the acceptance level and just because it's an interesting, wide ranging mix of people, right? There is, you know, like

filmmaker and then the next, you know, plot of land over could be like, you know, a guy with a prepping bunker, you know, with Trump flags out or whatever, you know, which is fine. But it's a wide mix of people.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (15:40.042) Yeah, that was a great one. Yeah. Yeah. There's definitely, there is a strong, perhaps underserved queer community in this area. We've met so many incredible people and we try to support all the events that we can that happen locally. Out There Bar does,

a number of queer events like Tits and Palms. So we try to go out and just be in community with the other queer people whenever we get a chance. And we're really lucky to have some best friends living next door who are a queer couple. So it feels like we have... It's like a sitcom vibe where it's like, you know, there's all these cookie cutter houses around us and then we both have the weird houses.

Danny (16:28.211) Ha

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (16:38.304) There's like, you know, a couple of non -binary people, couple of trans -masse people, four queer people total on the end of this street. know, so that's been a unique experience for me to have our neighbor be a fellow trans man. Like, it's not something that I had in Los Angeles. I'd have to go to meet all my trans man friends, you know, someplace in Silver Lake, so.

Danny (16:39.612) Ha ha ha ha.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (17:06.238) I feel like out here I have way more of a community in some ways because you reach for it more. But you're right, we have the people with the flags down the street. It is right around the corner. So yeah, safety in numbers and community always.

Danny (17:08.262) Right, right.

Danny (17:28.467) Awesome. Guys, thank you so much for being on the show with me here. I look forward to hearing all about the event. I don't know. I think I'm going to be out of town during that weekend, unfortunately. But I will make sure for all the listeners, I put everything in the show notes where they can buy tickets, get more information, go to the website, read more about all the different films and everything that's happening on the weekend program.

And again, if you've never been to a film festival, I highly recommend the experience. It's super fun. I love it. So, yeah, I hope you guys have a really successful event and I'll be looking forward to future projects.

Graham Kolbeins & Jonathan Andre Culliton (18:10.016) Thank you so much for your time. Thanks, Danny. We really appreciate it. Have a good one. See you around the desert.

Danny (18:13.949) Thank you. My pleasure.

Summary

Patrick Hasson shares his journey from being a filmmaker to becoming a full-time artist. He talks about the frustrations of the film industry and how it led him to seek a change. He bought a house in Joshua Tree and transformed it into a colorful, vibrant space, which he rented out on Airbnb. This sparked his interest in painting, and he started creating abstract art using a dripping technique. He eventually ventured into portrait painting, focusing on desert rock musicians. Patrick Hasson is an artist who specializes in creating vibrant and unique portraits using a drip technique. He shares how he discovered this technique and how it has become his signature style. Patrick also talks about his series called Desert Dudes, where he painted portraits of desert rock musicians, and how it led to his first art show. He discusses the challenges he faced during the pandemic and his upcoming series called 1969, which pays homage to classic rock musicians. Patrick invites listeners to his upcoming art show and shares his journey as an artist.

Patrick's Contact

Instagram Here

Patrick's link tree with all the important details about upcoming shows HERE

Danny (00:01.369) All right, Patrick Hassan, welcome to the Highway 62 podcast. Thanks so much for taking some time out. How's everything going today?

Patrick Hasson (00:10.988) Doing okay, man. It's getting a little cooler in the desert, so things are good.

Danny (00:12.716) Awesome.

Yes Yeah, I actually I'm down in Irvine for the summer here, but I was home Day before yesterday came came home for a day to check on the house and all that good stuff and definitely it was starting to feel a little bit better so looking forward to Looking forward to that. So you've got a great art show coming up that we are going to talk a little bit about but you've got a great story on you know, how you became a full -time artist and

I want to hear all about that stuff. give us the, you know, the dime store tour.

Patrick Hasson (00:49.57) Okay, I was a independent filmmaker for about 20 years from the East Coast. Eventually, like most people, made my way to LA 2002. Did, you know, did some films that I wrote and directed. I did a little comedy called Waiting, a horror film called Bloodshed, did some documentaries, but long story short,

That's a tough business as anybody who's been in it. I think for me the most frustrating part of the world of film is film's a very expensive medium. And because of that, you usually need a lot of people to come on board, especially producers. So, you know, unless you're Quentin Tarantino, what happens is the art you're trying to make always gets compromised and

Danny (01:46.072) Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (01:47.084) Which is fine, but what happens, you know, as the budgets start to get bigger and the last film I did had a two million dollar budget, which was really cool, but the producer really kinda came on in the editing process and it just, it destroyed the film, so that was happening with me, you know, very frustrated with that world and I was an alcoholic and pretty...

Danny (02:04.92) Mm

Patrick Hasson (02:16.31) pretty bad drug addicts, it was kind of this perfect circle of wasn't happy with filmmaking, my life was out of control, and then there was a period there where I just, know, most of the times I would freelance as an editor to make money. At that time, I was editing adult films. I had cut for Digital Playground, Playboy, blah, blah, which is kind of a mind fuck, you know, like.

Danny (02:32.014) Mm -hmm.

Patrick Hasson (02:45.41) You know, some people hear that and they're like, that must be wonderful. And I'm like, trust me, there are things that you do not want to see eight hours a day, five days a week. So I just kind of felt it.

Danny (02:57.293) Well, plus the amazing dialogue you've got to work around when you're editing.

Patrick Hasson (03:01.557) my god.

I mean, I actually shot a documentary about that world, which was cool, but I just, was done, so I checked into a rehab 2014 and I got out, you I was living in a shitty apartment in LA and I had somehow bought a house in Joshua Tree. I bought a little drug house.

Danny (03:10.488) Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (03:31.906) for 73 grand and the whole reason I started coming to Joshua Tree to kind of turn the story back is when I got to LA 2002 I'm reading the LA Weekly and on the cover was it was Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri from the Stone Age and I was like huh who's this? So I knew nothing about Desert Rock so always a big music fan read this article and it they talked about you know Chris Goss and Brant Bjork and

Danny (03:46.275) Mm -hmm. Sure.

Patrick Hasson (04:00.874) Mary O 'Lally and it talked about these generator parties and Kaius and all these desert bands and you know what really got me was like these guys were just kind of doing their own thing you know especially like a

Danny (04:09.751) Hmm

Danny (04:14.647) Yeah. Yeah, I've actually, I actually played with Nick a couple times. Yeah, I filled, I played drums in face to face as my full time band, but I filled in for the Dwarves a couple times. So I did a bunch of rehearsals with Nick. I don't think we did shows together, but he came down to my studio down at Costa Mesa and we did rehearsals for a pre -production stuff we were doing for a new Dwarves album.

Patrick Hasson (04:20.939) Really?

Patrick Hasson (04:29.218) Nice. Nice.

Danny (04:44.343) that I was hoping to play on, but I was out on tour and then, you know, they always had Josh Freeze play on there and if you can get Josh to play on your record, you're gonna probably pick him over me anyway. But it was still really fun to hang out and work on those songs with him.

Patrick Hasson (04:54.668) Yeah. Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (05:00.864) Yeah, Nick's awesome. He was my neighbor for a while before I sold the Rainbow House, which is a whole nother story. But yeah, he's super cool guy. Love Nick. So, you know, I started coming to the desert and I don't know, I guess for some reason I thought I was gonna run into these guys and hang out, but I didn't. And I was never a musician. always...

Danny (05:18.871) Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (05:25.378) loved music and I was kind of in my head wanted to be a musician but I just I don't know it just never happened. So coming to Joshua Tree I just did that for years so living in LA I would come out to Joshua Tree and just hang in the park I didn't know anybody. So when my life was you know starting to fall apart in I guess it was like 2012 I started driving to the desert and one day I was like I wonder what a house costs out here and you know back then

Danny (05:31.864) Mm -hmm.

Danny (05:54.931) Right? Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (05:55.042) houses were 60 grand, you know? So I was like, you know, I wasn't thinking, you know, totally straight, but I was like, wow, man, you know, if I bought a house out here, I'd have a place to die. I mean, that's kind of what I thought. I was just like, because living in LA, you know, I would envision myself being like 65 and little shit apartment, not getting hired and it.

Danny (06:08.481) Yeah. Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (06:18.752) I just, so I did it. bought it and then I got sober and then it was like, what am I gonna do with this house? So I started coming out to the desert and like I said, it was a drug house. So I would be there, you know, two in the morning, ba ba ba. You know, like what the fuck? And I would come and it was some guy like, hey man, is Bob here? I'm like, no, Bob.

Bob's not here, and that happened a number of times. I was like, all right, I gotta change the mojo of this place. The house was covered shit brown, and I just was like, you know, I'm gonna paint it really bright, happy color so that people know this is not the drug house. So painted it bright orange, and then once you paint the outside bright orange and the inside's all crappy white, I just started painting, like one day was looking at a stop sign.

Danny (06:50.359) Yeah.

Danny (06:58.509) Mm -hmm.

Patrick Hasson (07:14.114) was like, I'm gonna paint this room like, you know, red. And then I was looking outside and there was like a yellow flower. I'm like, I'm gonna paint the kitchen yellow. So then all of a sudden, I went to art school way back in the day and I remember the color wheel, you know, you got blue, yellow, red, your primary. So I painted the primaries and then the three, the two bedrooms and the bathroom, I painted the secondary which was orange, green and purple.

Danny (07:27.628) Okay.

Patrick Hasson (07:44.206) And, you know, it was amazing. I had turned this really horrible house into something, you know, bright and colorful. And again, I didn't know what I was going to do with it. My neighbors were like, what the fuck? know, at the time when I came to the desert, everything was, you know, brown and white. You know, there I don't remember seeing a whole lot of color. So.

Danny (07:52.929) Yeah, yeah.

Patrick Hasson (08:11.714) In fact, I had one neighbor, he was like really upset. He's like, dude, your house looks like Sesame Street. I'm like, what's wrong with that? You know, I like Sesame Street. So I just, I heard about Airbnb and I put it on Airbnb and that really changed my life because people started renting it. I called the house Rancho El Reposo. You know, this is 2014. You know, I was just like, wow.

Danny (08:15.159) Yeah.

Danny (08:19.444) Ha ha

Danny (08:33.593) Wow.

Patrick Hasson (08:41.154) I'm making money, so for two years, I'm going back and forth from LA. You know, I'd come out, be here two hours, clean the house, because I couldn't afford someone to clean it, and then I would go back to LA. I did that for two years, and the house was getting popular, and people started to know about it. So, you I was in this weird predicament in 2016. I was like, I gotta do something.

Danny (08:52.568) Yeah.

Danny (08:59.203) Hmm.

Patrick Hasson (09:08.278) You know, I can't keep doing this drive back and forth. So luckily, I was doing OK financially from Airbnb and I found the house, which I'm actually in right now where I live. You know, it was this pretty big house, but it had been the site of a murder -suicide, which I wasn't aware. Apparently, it had happened years before, so the realtors...

Danny (09:31.437) Wow.

Patrick Hasson (09:36.643) didn't say anything about it, a cop told me one day and I bought this place for $105 ,000, three acres. I had a big Kwanzaa hut in the back and it was kind of the same deal. said, all right, you know, I'm going to go rainbow again. So I painted the roof. I painted it red and purple stripes. So again, you know, people are driving by like, what the fuck are you, what are you doing? You know, and it's right on highway 62.

Danny (09:53.593) Mm

Patrick Hasson (10:05.89) painted the outside purple and red, so it really attracted attention. Inside did the same thing, each color a different color. you know, I had zero money for decor or anything. So I just, started, let me actually get one. I started, I was buying, I was literally go down to Olivera Street in LA and I buy these little $10 guitars.

Danny (10:24.962) Okay.

Danny (10:35.214) Mm -hmm.

Patrick Hasson (10:35.914) And as you could see, I had all this rainbow house paint because of doing the painting. I just started, you know, just, I mean, it was basically like this. I just kind of started splattering paint on it. And I was like, yeah, that's cool. So I hung them on the walls and I opened the house and it, it happened again. It, you know, people really dug it. Unfortunately, it became kind of a party house, which,

That's hard to change once it begins, the cool thing was it got really popular. So I started, you know, basically the walls, I my little guitars and you know, obviously I was like, well, I gotta live somewhere. So I bought a little fifth wheel. I bought it in LA for like four grand and I put it at the edge of the property and you know, basically I lived there for two years, but the...

Danny (11:08.505) Mmm.

Patrick Hasson (11:34.41) I thought the really cool thing about it was, not that I was spying on my guests, but I could kinda watch. You know, I'd look out and I'd see what they do and yeah, but the cool thing was is I had lucked out, like I had a friend that had an old piano. said, hey, you want an old piano? I was like, yeah, sure. So he brings the piano over and I did the same thing as the guitar. You know, I kinda did this rainbow splatter on the piano and.

Danny (11:39.449) Yeah, keep an eye on things.

Patrick Hasson (12:03.916) People loved it. my God. was like, people were taking pictures on it. It started blowing up on Instagram. And then I had a friend that was like, I got an old car. You want it? I was like, yeah. So we bring the old car up and again, splattered it with paint. So you kind of get the idea. You know, I had an old tree outside. I painted that rainbow and I called the place Rancho de Colores. And it was just a trip, man. You know?

Danny (12:05.336) Yeah, yeah.

Danny (12:22.325) Yeah, yeah.

Danny (12:30.713) Calories

Patrick Hasson (12:32.938) It was an absolute trip, so I'm living in a little trailer. My Airbnbs are doing okay and I'm making a living, you know? And it's a trip. It's a total trip and then I was like, all right, well.

Danny (12:48.985) Did you get, I was gonna ask, did you get inspiration for that name from the Rancho Dolores Hotel? When I was reading your email and you mentioned that, always think of that hotel on Highway 62, El Rancho Dolores. Have you seen that place?

Patrick Hasson (13:04.674) Rancho.

Patrick Hasson (13:08.139) Where is that?

Danny (13:10.081) Right when you're, it's kind of by, well, it'd near Split Rock Avenue, which is, live right off of Split Rock there. So there's that gas station right there. There's a Chevron. It would be a little bit to the west of that on the north side. Yeah, it's right there as you kind of coming into town. El Rancho Delores. I always thought it was such a cool place and I love that name.

Patrick Hasson (13:25.49) Okay, I'm sure I

Patrick Hasson (13:34.646) That's a cool, yeah, I mean, I have to be honest. just, I loved Rancho de la Luna. So I was like, I just kinda did a spin -off, you know, being a big music fan and you know, and then from there it was just like, okay, well, I don't wanna live in this trailer forever. So I had to basically come up with a plan. But the cool thing was, is I would always have.

Danny (13:41.365) Okay. Yeah.

Danny (13:47.267) Gotcha.

Patrick Hasson (14:02.626) clothing with paint splattered all over it. My pants, my shirts. And you know, I'd walk around town and people were like, hey man, you know, where'd you get that shirt or those pants? I'm like, this is my painting clothes. But I think because I was painting with these rainbow colors, people dug them. So then I'm like, well, fuck. You know, so I started going to the thrift stores and I'm buying pants and shirts and sorry about that. And I started, you know, hanging up clothes.

Danny (14:28.217) It's okay.

Patrick Hasson (14:31.926) back at the trailer and I would just kind of do my thing and I called it Vicious Color. So now I'm selling clothing, you know. And again, I knew nothing about clothing, but the cool thing was I'm selling the clothing in my Airbnbs. You know, I'm getting a little business around town. I'm selling the little guitars. And then, you know, for a little while I went to the,

Joshua Tree Farmers Market and I actually had my own tent and I tried to make a go at the rainbow clothing thing but I learned really quickly that with women's clothing, I have no idea the different sizes and there's so many elements to women's clothing that I was just like, all right, I'm way out of my element. So.

Danny (15:02.485) Yeah.

Danny (15:19.671) Yeah, yeah.

Patrick Hasson (15:24.554) I still do it sometimes, like if someone brings me an item of clothing, I'll do a custom one, but I realize like, okay, this is not the thing for me. I basically, living in the trailer, was like, cannot live in a trailer for any longer. So what I did was, same thing, the trailer, I decided I'm gonna paint it rainbow. So I paint the outside rainbow and...

Danny (15:29.059) sure.

Patrick Hasson (15:51.552) the floor, was like kind of a crappy linoleum floor. And like I said at the time, everything I did was like Jackson Pollock -y, splattering paint. you know, I'm like, all right, well, I can't throw paint all over the trailer. And I wanted to do this rainbow mosaic on the floor. So it just, kind of dawned on me. I was like, you know what? What if I put each color of paint into like a little ketchup squeezy bottle?

Danny (16:02.317) Yeah, yeah.

Patrick Hasson (16:20.434) And that's what I did and I used house paints. You know, it's pretty thick paint. And, you know, I basically got red and I squeezed and I had a little glob of red and then I did a little glob of blue, glob of yellow. So I started making this mosaic and the cool thing about house paint is it's really thick. So what happens is the colors don't just blend together. And what I did is I got a house nail and I just would run the nail.

Danny (16:21.912) Mmm.

Danny (16:41.452) Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (16:49.826) through the different globs and I started creating these different shapes and it was this really cool mosaic and I just had a moment. Because I was never an artist that could look at someone's face and do a lifelike sketch of it. That's not my jam. I was always more abstract but when I did that I was like, there's something.

Danny (16:54.371) Cool.

Patrick Hasson (17:16.918) to this, you know, it just kind of hit me. was like, huh. So I started, you know, so basically I finished the floor. I put the trailer on Airbnb, it called it the color trip trailer. And again, I don't know if I was surprised at this point, but people started racking fifth wheel. So I moved back to the original house, Rancho El Reposo. Obviously I took it off.

Danny (17:35.351) Ha

Danny (17:41.229) Mm -hmm.

Patrick Hasson (17:44.698) Airbnb so I'm you know I'm renting the trailer. I'm renting Rancho de Colores, which is cool and I I want to you know take this dripping That's the technique that I was doing I called it dripping and I was like, you know I'd like to paint some canvases with this dripping technique. So I had an old garage I just you know turn that into my studio and I got some canvases and I would lay the canvases

flat on the ground. You know, and I just started, you know, playing with the paint and, you know, I really like the effect, but with the canvases, what I would do is I would paint them black because with a black canvas, it really makes colors pop. And I've always been a fan of that. There was a couple artists I can't...

recall the name right now that would use black canvases. And I just, always thought for a long time it was a really cool effect. It made things pop. And I'm not a big fan of white. I've never been a fan of white. So, you know, I start doing these abstracts on the canvas and, you know, I would hang them in the Airbnb's just to see what kind of reaction would they get. And people were like, hey, you know, can we buy this? And I was like, huh. So, you know, I start selling this like,

you know, rainbow -y art. And, you know, I did it for a while and I started getting a little better, but I wanted to try to do a portrait. So that was a little terrifying, because like I said, I've never been, you know, one of those artists. And I admire artists that just can look at something and sketch it out. Like, you know, in fact, when I was in art school, I had a drawing teacher that

Danny (19:23.491) Sure.

Danny (19:31.521) Yeah, yeah, it's amazing, I know.

Patrick Hasson (19:35.914) He looked at one of my drawings. He's like, you're not going to be an artist. And, you know, I remember him saying that. And I was like, what the fuck, You know, like, who says that to a student? So I thought about, you know, if I were going to start painting portraits, what would I paint? And I, you know, I thought about desert rock and because it really was the reason I came to the desert, living in the desert. And

Danny (19:42.711) Ha ha!

Danny (19:46.681) Ha ha ha!

Danny (20:00.917) Mm -hmm.

Patrick Hasson (20:05.27) I said, you know what, I'm gonna do a series. Well, at first I was like, let me see if I can do one. So I got a picture of Josh Homme and I got a little digital projector. I had the picture, took it in the projector and I projected it onto, and at this time I realized that my technique with.

Danny (20:11.062) Yeah, yeah.

Patrick Hasson (20:32.972) going on canvases, the problem is the paint would be so heavy that it would kind of all go into the middle. So I started painting on pieces of wood. I would just go get plywood, Humdepo, boom. So I paint, you know, I basically sketched you know, portrait of Josh onto the piece of wood. But what I did is I went into Photoshop. I would take the picture, put it in Photoshop and there's a

Danny (20:40.494) Mmm.

Patrick Hasson (21:02.092) there's a, what the hell, like a filter called cutout. And what it does, it'll break up the different tonal, like a light part, it kinda does an outline. So it was cool, I had this outline, but it broke up the tonal ranges, and I just went for it. I make this, and it took a while because the thing with my technique is I lay the canvas flat and I'll do a section.

Danny (21:06.795) Mm -hmm. Sure.

Danny (21:12.599) Yep, not a dark, yeah, yeah.

Patrick Hasson (21:32.646) And I let that section dry because if I try to do everything at once, it becomes just a big mush mash. So, you I would do a section like say his ear and I let that section dry and then I would do another section. And the cool thing was I started creating layers. Like a lot of my paintings, if you see the person, they'll have, you know, six, seven, eight layers. And it's this, you know, it was just a technique that it was, I just was fucking around with it.

Danny (21:51.9) Mm -hmm.

Patrick Hasson (22:02.242) and it just was, it was really cool what was happening. It just, it spoke to me. So I did that first portrait and you know, I put it online and people were like, wow, that's, that's really good. And I was like, huh. And that's when I decided, I was like, all right, well, why not do a series about Desert Rock? So basically I came up with Desert Dudes. I'm like, all right, I'm going to do

Danny (22:25.571) Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (22:32.098) I don't know, I think I did a total of 27, 23 made the show. But like for the next year, that's all I did. You know, I painted Nick Oliveri and Mario Lali and Chris Goss and Gary Arce and Jessica Von Rabbit and just all those cats. Chris Garcia, Bram Bjork. And then after a year, I had created this series and I was like, I have to say I was proud.

You know, was like, wow, I am somebody who could be an artist even though I can't, you know, draw realistic things. So I, you know, at the time I started going around the different little art galleries around here and, you know, I talked to a few of the galleries and no one really seemed interested. And then I can't remember how I ran into Michael McCall. He was the curator at the

Danny (23:02.028) Yeah, yeah, I'm sure.

Patrick Hasson (23:29.8) Yucca Valley Visual and Performing Arts Center in Yucca Valley, which is an amazing space I think they may have changed the name it might be like the Joshua Tree Gallery of Contemporary Art, but it was this really amazing space We started talking and I said hey, man. I I had this series of desert rockers you want to come check it out, so he came to my studio and He's like yeah, this is this is really this is really good and

He's like, I've never seen paintings like, I he was like, you what is this technique you're doing? And I said, I call it dripping. It's something I just kind of came up with and evolved over time. it's, you know, I think seeing it in person, really is striking. Cause again, a picture online, like you could see that portrait right there.

Danny (24:23.127) Well, yeah, I was going to ask you about the so obviously, you know, most people will be listening to this. But, you know, if you're look, if you watch some of the reels I'll put up on Instagram. I've been right behind you. You know, is this Paul McCartney painting? And I was going to ask, so is that is done with this drip technique? Holy crap, that's amazing. I mean, that is like it's not what I

Patrick Hasson (24:44.256) Yes, and it's like with that, thank you, thank you. it's like.

Danny (24:54.519) And this is always the real interesting element for me of talking to artists, you know? And, you know, I don't know, it's so funny because you know how you're saying like, I always wanted to do music and you never did. Well, I did. I do music. But there's always this part of me like I. I love film, you know, I always talk about this. I took this cinema study class when I was in high school that this class had won all these awards back in Chicago.

And that's really developed like my love of film. So, you know, way back in high school and, know, so I've always had that thing of like, man, there's always this side of me that's like, I wish I would have gone into film, you know? And then there's that other appreciation of me where I'm the same way. I cannot draw anything. Like I've tried and I can't do it or I can't do it well, but I just, I love the creation process of something, you know? And it's so it's like,

Patrick Hasson (25:34.018) Sure, sure.

Danny (25:51.929) Obviously I love like my favorite part about being in a band is really being in a studio, in the studio, creating songs more so than I like touring and all that stuff, especially now that I'm almost 60. But, you know, and I'm not a filmmaker, but I make YouTube videos. You know, I go out on these motorcycle trips and what I love about it is, like, I get to do that creative part of it, you know, the editing and putting music with it and all that. I love that creative element and.

Patrick Hasson (26:02.592) I got you.

Danny (26:20.875) It's just, it's really cool that, you know, as you were saying, you couldn't really just look at something and sketch it out, but you found this way of creating something. And I mean, when you look at this picture, I can't wait to see it in person, but I mean, it's amazing. Like the detail and the color and the shadows and shading. It's really, really cool.

Patrick Hasson (26:35.446) Right on.

Patrick Hasson (26:44.13) Thank you, man. Thank you. And I have to tell you, you are a filmmaker. I mean, you're doing it. You are a filmmaker, And that's kind of how I feel about music. I have this like really deep down, I've always wanted to be a musician, but it's again, it's like, was like, it's too late to start. now living in Joshua Tree, everybody plays music up here. Everybody's jamming out. So I think there is a part of me at some point that

Danny (26:48.569) Yeah, yeah, I guess.

Danny (27:04.419) Yeah

Danny (27:08.353) Yeah, yeah.

Patrick Hasson (27:14.07) I might grab an instrument. And I've had periods in my life where I would grab a guitar, but then I would just get disinterested. that's kind of one of those things where it's like, well, you you didn't think you could be an artist and now you're an artist. Maybe, you know, maybe someday pick up an instrument and who knows, you know? And it's, I'm always very envious, especially up here, because there's so many amazing musicians and you guys can just jam, you know? Like,

Danny (27:20.759) Yep, yep.

Danny (27:32.589) Yeah, yeah.

Danny (27:38.115) Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (27:41.558) I mean, when I'm painting, can't really jam with anybody, but you guys can just get together.

Danny (27:46.369) Yes, there is. Yeah, there is that element from the musician standpoint that, you know, obviously, you know, there's a fun element of playing alone. But like I never for years and years like I don't geek out about drumming like I don't watch like drumming videos and then go in the garage and like spend hours trying to figure it out. I'm just so not interested in that at all. So for me, it's more of the process like I like doing it with other people. So being in the band,

You know, again, at this stage of the game, the only enjoyable part about traveling to play music is the 45 minutes of playing music, you know. Well, and, you know, hanging out with the guys is fun, but everything else around it, like the travel, the sitting around waiting, it just sucks. So bad. But yeah, it's that creating with somebody that is a really fun part of doing music for sure.

Patrick Hasson (28:40.962) Yeah, and that's, know, obviously as you can tell, I basically paint musicians. I don't do only musicians, but I love music so much. This is kind of how I can vicariously be a part of music. you know, so going back to the Desert Dudes, we put on this show. was 2019 and this amazing gallery. So we put up this show and I was...

Danny (28:47.299) Yeah.

Danny (28:54.829) Hahaha

Patrick Hasson (29:08.566) I mean, I was just blown away. was like, wow, I'm having an art show. And then the show got a bunch of press, which was great. And Mario Lali had, you know, he had read about it, I think, and he came to the gallery and, you know, at the show, his portrait was kind of the first one as you walk into the gallery. And, you know, he really, he dug it. You he was like, wow, this is great. And, you know, he's looking at the other portraits and...

You know, so many of the people I painted were people that he's played with, jammed with. So I didn't know this, but he got a bunch of, like, I guess he had talked to a bunch of the musicians and then he hit me up and he said, hey, you know, how about we, a bunch of us jam at your closing party? And I'm like, okay, so a bunch of my musical

Danny (29:42.696) Mm Yeah.

Danny (30:01.881) Cool.

Patrick Hasson (30:07.232) heroes that I painted, you guys are come to my closing party and jam." He's like, yeah. And I just was absolutely, positively one of the greatest moments of my life. was Gary Ars, Mario, Dave Ketching, Gene Troutman, Jessica Von Rabbit. I know I'm gonna forget people. Chris Goss.

Danny (30:15.121) That's great.

Patrick Hasson (30:37.014) guitarist from UNIDA, his name's not coming to me right now, Arthur, Arthur from UNIDA, and Hutch set up the sound. I mean, was incredible. They did this improv jam and it was so cool. so that, you know, that was kind of it. I was like, wow, you know, I guess I'm a legit artist. And it was just really cool the way

Danny (30:51.673) Cool. That's great. Yeah, yeah.

Patrick Hasson (31:05.538) it came round circle because that's the rocks why it came out here and now you know what it was 2002 I I didn't know it just it was like 20 years coming around circle and it did well and the one article that written up about it it was by this guy Brian blue sky who writes for the desert son and it it.

Danny (31:06.177) Yeah, sure.

Danny (31:11.47) Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (31:32.736) He came by to do the interview with me, but he also, you know, he saw all my Airbnbs. He's like, wow, this is crazy. You got these rainbow houses. Like, yeah, yeah. You know, I didn't think much of it. I was just like, you know, this is how I make a living. So the article turned out being about the Desert Dude show, but it was, he also wrote about the Airbnbs and it like, you know, I think it was like when it came out, I was on the cover of a bunch of newspapers. People call me like, yo dude, you're on the cover.

Danny (31:46.402) Yeah.

Danny (32:00.53) Hahaha!

Patrick Hasson (32:02.252) with your painting and I'm like, Arthur, Arthur say that's, don't know why it was escaped me. And I had done a painting of Arthur and his painting was on the cover. think he's the one who hit me up. He was like, dude, you know, we're on the cover. And it was just, it was a trip in that article because you know, the desert sun is a satellite of USA Today. made it to USA Today, which was, it's pretty mind blowing. So

Danny (32:04.183) Yeah

Danny (32:14.318) Yeah, yeah.

Danny (32:28.718) wow.

Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (32:31.904) You know, like life was, my life was really good. And do we, how much time we have left? don't want to like.

Danny (32:40.345) We should, we can start to transition into like the upcoming show and what you've got going, where people can, you know, like just other shows you've maybe, you know, have planned or other places that you show the work or anything like that. We'll kind of wrap with that, yeah.

Patrick Hasson (32:54.338) Okay. So, yeah, I'll condense it. So basically, 2020 hit, pandemic. I was super freaked out. My Airbnbs got shut down and I relapsed. So my life went from like high point to pfft. And during the pandemic, I was like, all right, I gotta do something so I'm not thinking about it. So I was living at Rancho El Reposo and I spent two years and I turned the house into the Rainbow House.

Danny (33:02.198) Mm.

Danny (33:08.056) Mm.

Patrick Hasson (33:24.034) which was like literally every inch of the house was fucking rainbow. The problem was it really took a toll on my body. around, you know, when I finished the house, I said, you know, I want to do another series. And I wanted to do a series called 1969 because, I mean, me personally, think 1969 was probably the high point in so many areas of culture, you know, art, music, film.

Danny (33:29.518) Hehehe.

Danny (33:51.619) Hmm.

Patrick Hasson (33:53.538) I was born in 1969, so I just thought like, yeah, man, let's do another music based series. you know, I started working on that. And like I said, I hurt my back and Airbnb was really becoming more more difficult. I had a bunch of herniated discs in my back. So I got to a point, you know, my doctor was like, can't, you know, cause I was like the one man machine. had to do everything all the time.

Danny (33:57.593) Cool.

Danny (34:20.354) Sure.

Patrick Hasson (34:21.698) And my doctor's like, know, you should probably, if you want to keep painting, you can't really do both. So I was like, all right. So I put the house on the market, which was, you know, was bittersweet because I, it was a very beautiful house. But I sold it. And then of course, after I sell it, this is May, 2023, before I sold it, I'd reached out to TV shows and stuff. Like I thought like, this would be cool.

you know, have one of these HGTV shows, shoot it. No one ever got back to me. But then of course, as soon as I sold the house, like two weeks later, producer from HGTV, I guess had seen her on social media. So she hit me up and they ended up filming the house. I guess it was, I can't keep trying. It was sometime in the last year. And then that ended up being on a show called Zillow Gone Wild, which, you know,

Danny (34:52.546) Sure, sure.

Danny (34:57.926) Ha

Danny (35:13.144) Yeah.

Danny (35:18.486) okay.

Patrick Hasson (35:19.394) it aired a couple months ago. So it's cool. But yeah, and then there's a there's a the design network is actually shooting it this Sunday. So they're supposed to interview me and hopefully I'll make the show. But the cool thing is, so I got out of Airbnb, I moved over here to Rancho de Colores. And literally for the last year, all I've done is focused and

Danny (35:23.348) I gotta check that out.

Patrick Hasson (35:49.218) I've been able to complete this series called 1969 and it's a, again, it's a musical, like classic rock musical portrait series. I did all the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, The Stones. I did 23 portraits and all and the show, 1969, it's gonna be opening September 7th at the...

Danny (35:57.23) Mm -hmm.

Patrick Hasson (36:17.506) It's the Schaeffer Gallery at the High Desert Artists Center, which is new. It just opened a few months ago. It's an amazing space. It's in Yucca Valley. I think I even have the address. People that are listening. So, where is it? Okay, it is the High Desert Artists Center. It's in the building, I think it used to be called Route 62. It was like a vintage store. But it's at,

Danny (36:45.151) Yes, okay.

Patrick Hasson (36:47.202) 55635, 29 Palms Highway, Yucca Valley. Yeah. So, the official opening is September 7th. We're having a soft opening September 6th because there was a conflict and there's a celebration of life for somebody that was, you know, big in the community. So we're having a soft opening on the 6th and then we're gonna be part of the Yucca Valley Art Walk.

which is September 21st, and then the show itself is gonna be up from August 31st to September 22nd. So, you know, if you can't make the opening, you know, the gallery's open Thursday through Monday, you can go to my website. I have all the info, my website. Is it cool if I shout up? It's patrickhassen .com, which is P

Danny (37:38.957) Yeah, yeah, hit it.

Patrick Hasson (37:44.576) T -R -I -C -K -H -A -S -S -O -N dot com and all the info's there. And so.

Danny (37:50.937) Yeah, I will be sure to put everything about the show, all your social media, all your website stuff in the show notes here as well. Cause I know a lot, you know, on, on podcasts, I'm a bicycle riding podcast listener, you know, or, or doing my drive from 29 Palms. My girlfriend lives down here in Irvine, you know, so I'm always in the car and like the podcast, you know, so it's always good to able to go back and find that stuff. so you don't have to write it down while you're driving. So we'll make sure we get all that out for everybody.

Patrick Hasson (37:58.775) Right on.

Danny (38:19.801) Yeah, I really look forward to it. I gotta come by the gallery and see this stuff in person. It looks amazing. So, and you've got a great story, which just makes the art even better, you know? Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (38:20.289) Right on.

Patrick Hasson (38:24.354) Please do. Please do. Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (38:32.802) Right on, right on. And also, after the show closes, I'm gonna be in the Highway 62 Art Tours, which is the first three weekends. Yeah, first three weekends of October. I highly recommend, if you've never been, check it out. I think there's maybe 180 different artists. You you can pick up one of the booklets. I think they're out now, but it's really amazing. There's so many amazing artists, so I'm gonna be open.

Danny (38:41.081) I was gonna ask about that, yeah.

Danny (38:56.91) Yeah.

Patrick Hasson (39:02.91) all three weekends at my studio, which I'm actually trying to turn into a gallery. So hopefully by art tours, it'll be a gallery set up, but I'm not sure if I'll have it all done by then.

Danny (39:12.537) Cool. Yeah. I, you know, I've only lived out in the area for a couple of years and last year was the first time that I, you know, went around during, the highway 62 art tours and me and my girlfriend, we, had such a blast. We loved it. And I mean, it is definitely like, you know, I'm trying to get my mom to like fly out from Wisconsin just for like one of the weekends. Cause I know she would love it so much, but it's really cool because

Patrick Hasson (39:27.328) Yeah. Yep.

Danny (39:40.599) Yeah, you do visit some galleries and stuff, there, I mean, there's such a wide range of artists, right? And a lot of times you're just going to the person's house, you know? So it's like this really intimate way of viewing the art and getting to talk to the artists themselves. I mean, it's really unlike any other art, you know, event that I've ever heard of or seen. and again, yeah, you really discover like a real wide range of.

Patrick Hasson (39:49.121) Yeah.

Danny (40:07.593) of mediums, you know, and it's just so fun, so fun.

Patrick Hasson (40:11.124) And it's cool because you get to know the artist and each artist has a story just like me, you know, and they have, get to see their space and how they created. And, you know, so many people in the desert, seems to be a common theme is, you know, people come out here to kind of find themselves or, you know, maybe change their life or, you know, chase after their calling. there's so many interesting stories out here, you know.

Danny (40:13.859) Yeah.

Danny (40:32.493) Ha ha.

Danny (40:35.981) Yeah, my my problem with the art tours is that I'll spend too much money or want to spend too much damn money, you know, because I always have said like, I don't need a big house. I never buy like, you know, I'm not into like fancy cars. like my bicycles and my motorcycles. But if I had fuck you money, I would buy a ton of cool art, you know, like, you know, and I've just even to just be in that position of just spending even a few thousand bucks, you know, on a great painting or something. It's just.

Patrick Hasson (40:40.576) Yeah. Cheers.

Patrick Hasson (40:51.287) Nice.

Patrick Hasson (40:57.633) Right on.

Danny (41:05.431) You know, I it's like a girl. It's a cool investment and it's just something great to spend. If you've got the money, man, that's something cool to spend money on for sure. Patrick, thank you so much, man. I love the story. I love what you're doing. I mean, obviously it's right up my alley being a musician and a huge music fan. You know, the nostalgia of it always, always really gets to me as well.

Patrick Hasson (41:13.82) Hell yeah, man, absolutely.

Danny (41:30.513) And I can't wait to come by and maybe I can come by on the the six for the soft opening. I'd love to, you know, get a chance to meet you and chat with you. Thank you so much, man.

Patrick Hasson (41:30.924) Right on.

Patrick Hasson (41:37.708) Be still.

Right on, man. Thank you, man.