History
The scene evolved from various Palm Desert bands' (especially Yawning Man's) marijuana-driven instrumental jams in the desert. It is largely known for its heavy, grinding riffs and association with the use of illicit substances, particularly marijuana, peyote, and magic mushrooms. These jam sessions inevitably contained some psychedelic rock influences. Possibly because of the scene's proximity to Mexico and Spanish speaking communities, there is a significant influence of Latin music on Palm Desert rock which is very evident with the El Miradors. Due in part to their roots as smalltime bar bands, many of the Palm Desert bands have strong blues elements in their music as well.
Palm Desert bands built a large local following by frequently performing at bars and parties in and around the isolated towns of Southern California's desert areas. The band Kyuss, specifically, performed shows at desert parties known as "generator parties." These shows consisted of small crowds of people, beer drinking, and the use of gasoline-powered generators to provide electricity for the musical equipment. Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age member Josh Homme commented that playing in the desert "was the shaping factor for " noting that "there's no clubs here, so you can only play for free. If people don't like you, they'll tell you. You can't suck."
The Palm Desert Scene gets well featured and rave reviews in the local annual world-famous Coachella Music Fest in nearby Indio.
Read more about this topic: Palm Desert Scene
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