Lo Sound Desert - The origin of Desert Rock
/A project close to our heart here at Elsewhere, Lo Sound Desert tells the story of a music scene born in the early 1980s by revolting punk rock kids in the middle of the Californian desert, where - hidden from the narrow-minded authority of suburbia - it gave birth to bands such as Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age.
Sometimes place shapes a music scene, and there is no question that ‘Desert Rock’ was a specific vibe of pure analogue rock music, fostered by the beauty of surroundings that by its very nature provided a lot of space. And although Desert Rock never reached the level of popularity of its contemporaries in the Grunge Rock scene, it is still around, whether via endless jams in rehearsal garages, wasteland venues and smokey European backstage rooms, and continues to inspire a new generation of rock bands to make music.
Lo Sound Desert is a film that provides a deep, intimate insight into the Low Desert music scene’s history and the punk rock vibe of the 1980s and 1990s. Ten years in the making, it is narrated by the main protagonists – the musicians: Mario Lalli, Alfredo Hernandez, Scott Reeder, Josh Homme, Brant Bjork, Nick Oliveri, Sean Wheeler and many more from bands like Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age, Yawning Man, Fatso Jetson, Mondo Generator, Dali’s Llama, Hornss, Slo Burn, Unida, Fu Manchu etc.
The two-part feature documentary brings together two generations of musicians and their achievements in underground rock music, and in the spirit of the music itself, the film has been a labour of love for filmmaker Joerg Steineck who has basically funded the project entirely by himself. But to get the film out there, Joerg needs a little help and is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to raise the last funds needed for music rights and DVD production. The campaign is going well, but still needs a little more over the last two weeks to get the project over the line.
We can’t wait to see the film… Elsewhere was born out of a desire not only to feature writing that explores a certain place in the many ways that can mean, but also those artists, musicians and filmmakers for whom place is central to their work or has shaped the creative process in some way. Lo Sound Desert is such a project, and we hope you will help support it.