Hundreds of Punks hit the
Desert. The modern music
festival was born.
M A G A Z I N E
History of L.A.s Most Legendary
Bygone Music Festivals.
By Bennett Kogan
Boston Hassle by Oscar Goff
“a perfect representation of where the American punk scene was heading at the mid-point of the ’80s”
"a series of important but overlooked shows – nothing like it has been attempted since."
VICE: How a 20-Year-Old Punk Kid and the Minutemen Pioneered Mainstream Music Festival Culture By Joseph Bien-Kahn
“the magic of the shows is that . . .
they were raw, they were real,
and, most importantly, they were
completely original”
“somehow manages, against almost
impossible odds, to capture the power
of events that revolutionized pop music
as we knew it.”
“a fascinating glimpse at the emergence of a phenomenon.”
"hot ticket"
HYPERALLERGIC: Rediscover Desolation Center, a Series of ’80s Punk Happenings in the Mojave Desert by Matt Stromberg
“a series of site-specific concerts in Southern California once offered an alternative, wildly independent vision”
KCET: The Desert Music Festival That Influenced Lollapalooza, Coachella and Burning Man By Tanja M. Laden
“a consortium of post-punk aficionados who resisted the concept of money-making in favor of truly egalitarian experimental live shows”
“these desert shows would go on to shape and influence marquee US music festivals, with Burning Man taking direct inspiration.”
“Swezey was in many ways a trailblazer”
“fantastic new documentary”
ARTILLERY MAGAZINE: Bunker Vision
The Middle of Nowhere by Skot Armstrong
"If you recently spent a small fortune to attend a cultural event in a desert locale, it probably contains DNA from a series of conceptual concerts that were staged in the Los Angeles area between 1983 and 1985".