Lizzy and The Triggermen play Vintage Vibe

Desert Oasis and Vintage Vibe Festival Debut in October

Two big music events make their mark in the desert.

Emily Chavous Foster Arts & Entertainment

Lizzy and The Triggermen play Vintage Vibe
Lizzy and The Triggermen play VintageVibe Sunday, Oct. 22.
PHOTO COURTESY OF VINTAGE VIBE FESTIVAL

If you were worried we might experience a shortage of music festivals this fall because of the lack of encore by Oldchella (ahem, Desert Trip), dust off your geo-print caftan because October is ripe with frolicsome festivities.

Two new fests, Desert Oasis and Vintage Vibe Festival, supplement the scene with a range of old-school hip hop, punk rock, and hipster-friendly jam bands.

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Rebelution headline Desert Oasis, Oct. 7–8 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, alongside such performers as Steel Pulse, Los Lobos, E-40, Reel Big Fish, and Warren G. “The concept of Desert Oasis Music Festival was to blend the genres of reggae, hip-hop, and Latin together with a mix of artists from the ’80s [and] ’90s to provide a more diverse lineup for festival attendees,” says event producer and Polo Club owner Alex Haagen IV. “In the fall months, the Empire Polo fields are a true desert oasis. It is a great time of year to showcase our beautiful facility.”

If you’re feeling particularly lavish, you and nine friends can splurge on the Luxury Cabana package, which includes VIP tickets for 10 and private cocktail service in your own box overlooking Desert Oasis’ main stage for a paltry $10,000.

Later in the month look out for all the rad retro feels at VintageVibe Festival, a music-meets-marketplace event Oct. 20–22 at the Palm Springs Convention Center with a pregame pool party Oct. 19 at Saguaro Palm Springs.

“As a fan of the style of the ’50s and ’60s — music, attire, architecture, and general design — it just felt right to bring a show like this to Palm Springs,” says producer Jared Mancuso

damianjrgongmarley

PHOTO BY BRIAN CROSS
Damian Marley takes the stage at Desert Oasis Saturday, Oct. 7.

Nineteen indie bands, including Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears, Best Coast, and The Cactus Blossoms, take over two stages while nostalgia-inducing vendors and exhibitors sprawl across a 60,000-square-foot marketplace. A portion of Sunday ticket sales benefit Sanctuary Palm Springs, a nonprofit supporting LGBT teens.

Q&A: with VintageVibe producer Jared Mancuso

What sparked VintageVibe?
As a young adult I was able to discover this amazing hidden gem of a city that has managed to revive the midcentury modern aesthetic. One of our main goals is to take this old-school style and make it cool for today’s crowds. Palm Springs … has new designers coming in and taking what is already there and making it fresh and relevant. So I couldn’t think of a better place to kick off VintageVibe.

Tell us about the marketplace.
We are stoked to have the DeLorean Time Machine there, in addition to having The Flux Capacitors kicking off the event at the Saguaro hotel. Back to the Future just feels like the perfect theme. One of the quintessential vendors is Reclamation Etchworks. They take any bottle, decanter, or glassware and etch designs, names, logos onto the bottle using a laser.

What are the essentials to bring?
Dancing shoes. On our Marketplace Stage we have some seriously awesome groups. One of them, Lizzy and The Triggermen, gives us a taste of newer songs in the style of the brassy big-band era. But before they hit the stage, we’ll have dance instructors teaching people how to get their swing on!

What’s the best way for guests to map out their weekend?
Oct. 19 is the kick-off pool party. After that, you have all three days to experience. Each day has a completely new musical lineup and a marketplace filled with fashion, vintage gas pumps, photo booths, a game center, and several exhibits from some incredible artists and designers, including the Palm Springs king himself, Kurt Cyr. I just don’t really see how one day would suffice.

Oct. 7–8 / Desert Oasis Music Festival

desertoasismusicfestival.com

Oct. 20–22 / VintageVibe Festival

vintagevibefest.com