By Lisa Morgan
For the second year in a row, the 111 Music Festival will once again transform SunLine Transit Agency’s Line 111 buses into a grooving, moving concert filled with the sounds of an eclectic mix of 28 musical performers from the Coachella Valley on November 1, 2015, from 3:00-7:00pm. “Highway 111 is the heart of the Valley, so our Line 111 becomes the ideal mobile music venue for this festival,” said Lauren Skiver, CEO/General Manager of SunLine Transit Agency. “We’re very proud to partner with The Coachella Valley Art Scene to provide an opportunity for the community to experience a relaxing ride on our bus while enjoying some of the most talented local musical acts.”
The goal of this innovative music festival is to promote the local public transit system while showcasing the Valley’s local art, culture and music. Performers lined up for this year’s festival include: Alchemy, Alex Harrington, Alfa Cologne, Brightner, CANVAS, Caxton, CIVX, Doug Van Sant (Flusters), Eevaan Tre, Giselle Woo, Hannah Mills, Hive Minds, Ideation, IIIZ, Johnny Elsewhere, Jonzy, Kevin Francis, La Bus Bohème, Luthergates, Machin’, Maddy Ebersole, MermaidVision, Monreaux, Sun Baked, Symara Stone, The BrosQuitos, The Flusters, and Venus & The Traps.
Having seen many of these artists perform live, Sunday Sunline riders will no doubt be blown away at the level of talent living and creating in our valley. While the desert may have given birth to some serious music in the past, the artists in this line up are the promise of this music scene’s bright future. I would write about them all if I could, and actually have for many in articles past. But, with space and time limitations in mind, I was able to meet with three bands over the weekend – two who are experiencing significant growth, and one new band that has absolute screaming potential. These are only three innovative collectives that represent the very deep well of incredible, original music makers who call the Coachella Valley home.
The Ever-Evolving Hive Minds: Derek Jordan Gregg, Sean Poe and Matt Styler
When longtime desert musician, Mark Gregg, shared a YouTube video of his son playing guitar and singing into the camera, I was immediately impacted. The song was “Firewater” and the voice, the mechanics of his guitar playing and the seasoned depth of his lyrics were far beyond his years. I would meet the young singer/songwriter months later at a CV Weekly event where he performed live. Clearly his stage presence and passion were channeled from a far older, experienced master of the art. Fast forward a couple of years, and he is performing with a full band and recording his second compilation with none other than multi-Platinum, Diamond certified, Oscar and Grammy nominated producer, composer and musician, Ronnie King.
Band brother and stickman, Sean Poe, has literally had Gregg’s back for the better part of three years now and has grown in skill, finesse and presence right along with Gregg. New to the band, and bringing a surprisingly cohesive and creative element, is bass player Matt Styler. The self-taught local player, with his varied array of influences such as Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), and Les Claypool (Primus), was never expected to make the cut. “I didn’t even realize I was being set up for failure,” Styler shared laughing. “Sean asked if I wanted to come over and learn a full hour of original material, and I said, ‘Original music? Great!’ Neither Gregg nor Poe expected him to be such a great fit on so many levels. “This has become a lot more of a collective in the songwriting process,” shared Gregg. “It’s not so much a singer/songwriter album as it is a band album – all of us contributing to the songs and our sound.”
With one solid record under their belt, Hive Minds came under the management of Morgan James Entertainment who introduced them to famed producer, Ronnie King. Gregg, Poe and Styler along with King, took a break from recording to meet with me and talk about the five song EP they are producing. “This project is going to be full of more soul,” said Gregg confidently. “This evolution of Hive Minds has a taste of R&B, roots blues and indie rock, but still maintains that classic pop feel. I guess you could say it has the essence of everything from post-new wave to Pixies meets Vampire Weekend. I think it puts the soul back into the term ‘radio friendly’. This album is an inferno. Ronnie is driving us, and with the limit on the time we have to create together, the music that is being captured reflects an incredibly high energy.”
King, who has collaborated with multi-million dollar selling artists such as Mariah Carey, Tyrese, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, The Offspring and Rancid, chimed in saying, “The boys have been a real pleasure to work with. They’ve been real gentlemen, trusting me and letting me produce their music. I love their new music. It’s phenomenal. We have some serious radio songs that are going to be fantastic on college radio, and we really look forward to getting them out there.”
Along with their mobile performance on the Sunline bus, Hive Minds will hit the festival’s Main Stage at the Cathedral City Festival Lawn across from the Mary Pickford Theater at 3:30 p.m. The rest of their upcoming schedule is as follows:
11/7 Jackalope Ranch 9 p.m. – 12 a.m.
11/14 Synergy Fest, Date Land Park 3:15 p.m. – 4 p.m.
11/14 La Quinta Brewery’s 2 year Anniversary 2 p.m.
11/20 The Red Barn, Palm Desert 9 p.m.
11/21 The Local Music Showcase at Schmidy’s Tavern with Mike Mozingo (Mix 100.5) 8 p.m.
Also, be watching for Hive Minds Kickstarter campaign early in November raising funds for the new EP.
For more information on Hive Minds, go to their website: thehivemindsmusic.co
IIIz (Formerly The Yip Yops)
This band took Goldenvoice’s Tachevah Competition by the throat and won the prized opportunity to play the high profile Block Party. They had only put the band together 6 months prior with that very goal in mind. This tenacious tribe was still in high school at the time. Some of them still are. Since then, major changes have taken place in order to help these young, determined musicians achieve their highest music career goals.
The first major change was bringing vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist, Mari Brossfield, on board. “We found her about one year ago,” shared Ison Van Winkle, front man for the band. Sometimes when I would write, I’d write with a female vocal in mind. We auditioned a couple of other girls and it just didn’t work out. But then my former guitar teacher, Mikael Jacobson, put a recital together and I heard his niece, Mari. I thought her vocals were unique and mature; they just stood out. We didn’t even realize she was only 14. Besides, we all really like being around her. It’s definitely not the easiest thing in the world to find someone who is willing to practice 6 hours a day, 4 days a week. Her parents were a bit hesitant at first, but even they are on board and are a great part of this team. Having Mari with us brings an interesting element. It opens up a path to explore more electronics and keyboards, integrating that with our core rock guitar and drums.”
Another very obvious change for this power four piece is the name. This came with one of the biggest and most exciting developments for the young band – they signed with a label. “We were leaving Coachella 2014,” shared Ison. “Jacob and I were in the car and this guy knocks on my window, ‘Can you give me a ride to my hotel? I’ll give you $100.’ On the way, we showed him a video of performing ‘ODUYA’, and he really liked it. A year later, he contacted us again. They invested a lot of time looking at us and decided they liked our vibe and image and everything seemed to line up. In October, we met with the VP and his response was, “There are 20 different bands within your sound, but you don’t sound like any one of them.”
“Getting signed by Hood and Associate and getting the financial support has been huge,” Ison continued. “They suggested the name change. They felt it was to ‘young’, and wanted something edgier. We spent 3 months coming up with a name that everybody could agree on. IIIz (pronounced “eyes”). It felt fitting for the direction we’re going in. A consistent theme in the songs I write is about perspective.”
That wasn’t the only direction the label pointed them in. They also contracted
award winning producer and artist, Ronnie King. “IIIz have the potential,” King shared about these artists. “They are very driven and they know what they want. That was very intriguing to me. It really pushed me to go outside of my preconceived notions and discover that they are much deeper and more focused than I originally thought.”
Drummer Ross Murakami was also given the opportunity to be mentored by world renowned drummer, Alvin Taylor (Elton John, Eric Burdon, George Harrison, Billy Preston,Bob Welch). That mentorship included one on one drum lessons and the sharing of some insider, industry secrets. “Alvin started going through our songs, helping us hone in on what we really wanted to do,” says Ison. “He helped us out tremendously in getting our songs ready to record.”
IIIz is still in the recording process with about 12-13 songs recorded so far, which ones and how they will be released is still in the planning stages. Meanwhile, the energetic and engaging performers have not had a chance to play out in over 6 months, so you can count on an all-out, rocking performance from this crew when they do.
IIIz is composed of Ison Van Winkle – Vocals, Guitar, Keyborads; Ross Murakami – Drums, Vocals; Jacob Gutierrez – Lead Bass, Vocals; and Mari Brossfield – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard. For now, you can only catch the well-seasoned and itching to play IIIz at one of the two following shows
Sunday, Nov 1st – 111 Music Festival mobile concert and the Festival Lawn, Main Stage at 8:30 p.m., and if the new management gives the ok, Friday, Nov 21st – Local Music Showcase with Mike Mozingo (Mix 100.5) at Schmidy’s Tavern, Palm Desert.
This is definitely a band to watch closely in 2016. You can do so by going to their Facebook page @ facebook.com/TheYipYops
or their website: www.theyipyops.com
The Flusters
This band will definitely leave you flustered, in the best way. You’ll want to hear and see more of this fresh yet classically timeless, rocking original goodness. I had the opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal, and I was completely won over. The unspoken synchronicity between these players is tangible. The music they play comes from a hard earned discipline, but flows bright, warm and easy like the music it’s inspired by (the great Dick Dale, Roy Orbinson, Link Wray, Grizzly Bear, Jeff Buckley, and Richie Valens) should be. But it is not by any means cliché. The lyrical themes are honest and relatable. There is nothing “Poppy” about this band other than their destined growing popularity. These young passionate players are easy on the eyes, especially in their signature black and white, tailored suits. But more importantly, the way they maintain their authentic grasp on the classic material they’re inspired by, while delivering elements from more contemporary greats, while never losing their own very clear identity is absolutely masterful. Add in the rich, dreamy vocals of front man, Dougie VanSant and good luck finding anything not to love about this band.
“A lot of these songs have lived on repeat in my mind over the last 5 years,” shared lead vocalist, guitarist, Dougie VanSant. “It’s taken me so long to be able to conceptualize and produce a project with any group of people until now. The end result would always be a collection of five songs that belong on five different records. You could just feel that the energy didn’t live together. Our styles are very different, but we’ve developed our sound together. We just want to make a great album. All parts of that include tone, sound and aesthetic – filling open spaces tastefully and not playing on top of each other. We want to be professional about the way we create music, not just in how we perform it.”
“From every musical avenue, the support I’ve experienced here is like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” chimed in guitarist, vocalist, Danny White. That is saying a lot considering his wanderings have exposed him to music communities in Jackson, Mississippi; Memphis, Tennesse and New Orleans. “We haven’t asked to play any shows other than the very first one we played, ‘Doo Wop in the Desert’. The music community here has been really great about receiving us.”
“It’s been a big part of us believing that this could be more than just one really good album,” VanSant added. “It allows us to earn our spurs as a band as opposed to the bigger cities where you’d be hard pressed to find a receptive audience. It gives us even more inspiration to tighten it up and take it out to places like LA, Nashville, and our hometowns in Mississippi and Philadelphia. We have a lot of fun, but it’s a byproduct of doing the work and being focused. We know what we want to produce.”
The Flusters are: Dougie VanSant (Lead Vocals, Guitar), Danny White (Guitar, Vocals), Mario Estrada (Bass), and Chris O’Sullivan (Drums)
Make sure you catch them on the mobile 111 Music Festival as well as on the Festival Lawn, Main Stage at 4:15 p.m.
Follow them on their website: theflusters.com
The 111 Line stretches 26 miles across the Valley, from Palm Springs to Indio. The mobile music festival is for all age groups and the normal bus fare is $1.00 for a one-way ride and $3.00 for an all-day pass. For more information and to view the music line-up, go to 111MusicalFestival.com. To learn more about the stops along the Line 111, go to Sunline.org.
This year we are producing a stage on the 111 line at the Cathedral City Festival Lawn. Ride the Sunline Bus to and from the stage venue and ride with the music!
