We had used to go to Coachella in Indio every year but then decided for one reason or another it was too much work and money. Hotels cost a fortune, tickets aren't cheap and hydration inside the festival costs an arm and a leg. So this year we had made an impromptu trip down to the ACE Hotel in Palm Springs for a few nights of Coachella like activities as well as some custom and limited vinyl. One of the best things about Coachella is being able to discover new bands and listen to acts you perhaps might not always see when they come into town. Third Man Records planned a weekend of DJs and bands at the ACE which was very low key and right up my alley. Some of the bands we had heard of but majority were new discoveries, secret guests Thee Oh Sees were the highlight.
Big festivals nowadays are almost an automatic 'no' for me. Just based on the pushing and shoving, the size of the crowd, it taking 3 hours to drive sixty miles, no parking and all other negatives that come along with a festival that has over 50,000 people attending. The Desert Gold week the ACE puts on is an event all in itself but with all the focus being at Coachella, it's a much more relaxed way to enjoy the weekend in the desert.
The true highlight of the week was being able to get into Converse's Desert Lab where they were making one of a kind lathe cut acetates. We each chose the only band we knew The XX, one is an 'Unreleased Remix' and the other is a cover of Aaliyah's 'Hot Like Fire'. Each have our name etched into them and also the date it was cut. These are truly one of a kind. The journey to acquire these two items, the experience of watching it be cut and the music was a very fulfilling scavenger hunt.
