Next weekend, April 9, the first Desert Generator festival will be held. Put together by Rolling Heavy magazine, Allnight Allnight and Brant Bjork himself, it brings groups from the desert and beyond to Pappy and Harriet’s Saloon in Pioneertown, California, to play on an outdoor stage in the tradition of the parties held in the middle of nowhere (also the center of everywhere) of yore that helped shape the Palm Desert scene and thus American heavy rock as a whole. In addition to a van show and camp-out, the lineup is Red Fang, Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band, Acid King, Golden Void and Ecstatic Vision.

Sounds like weirdo heaven? Yeah, it just might be. For Bjork, it’s another manifestation of the commitment to a desert art scene that has seen him become one of its most recognizable ambassadors. As the drummer for Kyuss, he played those parties alongside the likes of Yawning Man and Fatso Jetson, and across his solo material and even up to Black Power Flower (review here), the 2014 debut from Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band, he’s remained a defining feature of what the rest of the world has come to think of as the sound of that place, of that desert. His work is inseparable from that.

It makes sense in that way that Desert Generator should both exist and should take its name from the by-now-legendary parties that gave Bjork and many others their start, since in its very concept, the one-day fest feeds into and expands on that tradition much as Bjork‘s work has done with desert rock as a whole. From his years in Kyuss and Fu Manchu and his earliest solo work with the Jalamanta album on Man’s Ruin, through time with Brant Bjork and the Bros. on tour in the US and abroad and continuing through the forthcoming Tao of the Devil LP that will complete his current contract with Napalm Records, he’s been far more relentless than the laid back vibe of so much of his output might suggest.

But of course, that’s part of the atmosphere Bjork and his compatriots are hoping will play into the goings down at Desert Generator. In the interview that follows, the godfather of desert groove talks about the origins of this perhaps-inaugural festival, how it all came together with the bands involved and the legacy it’s working from. He also looks forward, not only to the Tao of the Devil release and potential European touring, but to revisiting his substantial back catalog and other projects in the offing.

Complete Q&A follows the jump. Please enjoy:

Read more »

The tradition that Desert Generator is highlighting is evident right in the name of the fest. By now, the out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-center-of-everywhere parties from which what we’ve come to think of as California’s desert rock scene emerged are the stuff of heavy lore, and as the “stages” such as they were were powered by gas generators — which, though unreliable, have a certain charm — one would be hard-pressed to think of a better moniker for Desert Generator than the one it has. True to form, it sounds like a killer party.

Set for April 9 with a lineup that features Red Fang, Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band, Acid King, Golden Void and Ecstatic Vision, the inaugural Desert Generator has a reach immediately beyond the locals of Pioneertown, CA, where the venue it will take place — Pappy and Harriet’s — is located, and with a Rolling Heavy magazine-sponsored van show, an outdoor stage and good times on offer, it seems like an atmosphere perfectly in line with the tripped-out and hard-hitting vibes of the lineup. I’d go. Just saying. I would.

Not sure if they’re making it an annual thing or one-shot-only, but what info there is follows, as yoinked off the fest’s website:

Saturday, April 9th, 2016. Rolling Heavy Magazine, Allnight Allnight, and Brant Bjork bring you DESERT GENERATOR, a heavy, psychedelic, rock & roll happening. We are inspired by the legendary generator parties (from which Brant’s band Kyuss originated) and the 1970’s “van-in” campouts. We got five rad bands and a custom van show – one day and one night of laid back fun. It all takes place in a wild west ghost town & dusty desert cantina in the birthplace of Desert Rock and Doom.

The ROLLING HEAVY VAN SHOW starts at high noon and will feature 1960s & 1970s custom vans, vendors, DJS and more (see next FAQ).

The DESERT GENERATOR concert will start as the sun begins to set on the desert. All bands will perform on the outside stage at Pappy + Harriet’s Pioneertown Saloon near Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley, California.

LINEUP:
Red Fang
Brant Bjork and The Low Desert Punk Band
Acid King
Golden Void
Ecstatic Vision

DESERT GENERATOR TICKET IS REQUIRED for Concert @ Pappy & Harriet’s. Event is All Ages. Free Parking. Made in the USA!

http://www.desertgenerator.com/
http://allnightallnight.ticketleap.com/desert-generator/t/DesertGenerator/
https://www.facebook.com/events/992467330812365/

Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band, “Buddha Time (Everything Fine)” live at Burg Herzberg 2015