Pair your good vibes with a great cause — St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® . Take a moment between incredible Beachlife acts to become a St. Jude Partner in Hope. As a St. Jude supporter, your generosity ensures that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live.
St. Jude supporter
Jack Johnson
St. Jude survivor Javon
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PUBLISHER/EDITOR
Tanya Monaghan
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Michelle Villas
COPY EDITOR
Laura L. Watts
WRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
Gavin Heaney, Drew Fortune, Emily Tecklenburg, Jim Lindberg
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
John Faso
MEDIA DIRECTOR
JP Cordero
BEACHLIFE FOUNDERS
Allen Sanford
Rob Lissner
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Katie Henley
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS
Courtney Jamieson
FESTIVAL COORDINATOR/ HEAD OF SALES
Sam Myers
DIRECTOR OF SECURITY
Keith Kauffman
Michael Grey
DIRECTOR OF VIBE
Donavon Frankenreiter
DIRECTOR OF BRAND
Jim Lindberg
VP OPERATIONS
Jonny Simms
CULINARY DIRECTOR
Jacob Ramos
TALENT ASSISTANT
Zac Garfinkel
Building a festival site can feel like building an entire municipality over a short, twoweek span. I arrive early each morning before the chaos. While walking the site, I visually digest miles (literally) of distributed electrical cable, a fleet of forklifts and hundreds of people working toward one goal: to create a collective moment for the South Bay community to enjoy. This special experience of seeing the site blossom over the initial load-in period and then crescendo into 10,000 people sharing a moment through music—it’s almost impossible to communicate the feeling unless you’ve been there.
Bill Brand saw it—he was there. In fact, Bill would occasionally beat me to the site in the morning. I’d get a phone call from our security team reporting, “This guy just walked on-site and told us it was cool. He
is the mayor, and he’s looking for you.” I would go find Bill, and he’d be analyzing something we had built the day before— inevitably remarking that it looked better than a five-story parking lot but suggesting a tweak or two.
Though Mayor Brand initially asked how he could “get out of the way“ when I pitched him the idea of BeachLife five years prior, Bill always wanted to help, to contribute, to shape … and I welcomed it. In a different life, Bill and I would have become fast friends.
We grew up surfing the same break (though in different decades), shared many of the same values and beliefs, and I could listen to his old stories of pre-Surfline mainland Mexico surf trips for days. Through some shared moments and ocean swims, I got to know and respect the man
behind Bill Brand—not just the individual appointed to mayor.
This year I won’t get that call from security, and I won’t have the opportunity to experience Mayor Brand’s childlike excitement during the site build or the festival. But I am confident that BeachLife will be better than ever because he’ll be making sure that the beach-life spirit stays strong in all of us.
Bill, we miss you and hope we continue to make you proud.
Adios Amigo, Allen Sanford BeachLife Founder
BY CHEF TARA PUNZONE
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“THEIR HARD, ROCKING BLUES STYLE HAS INFILTRATED POP MUSIC FOR DECADES— MYSTICALLY ALOOF OF THE PASSING TRENDS.”
When Billy Gibbons was a child, he saw both Elvis Presley and B.B. King perform in Houston. And he knew what had to be done. “Bearing witness was a life-changing event,” he said in an interview. “I knew what I wanted to do ... no, what I had to do.”
Melding the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s show with the King of the Blues’ guitar would become the enduring alchemy of ZZ Top. They are the longest-running band in rock history.
The time-tested trio of Billy on guitar, Dusty Hill on bass and Frank Beard on drums went unchanged for 51 years until the recent passing of Dusty in 2021. Their hard, rocking blues style has infiltrated pop music for decades—mystically aloof of the passing trends.
“We remain a blues rock band; however, we maintain the business of show by bringing a certain something that is insanely eye-arresting,” Billy says. “The backdrops and stage outfits all play into that role, and that’s entertainment.”
The band became just as famous for their look as their sound when Billy and Dusty emerged from a yearlong band hiatus with Rip Van Winkle-length beards in 1979. What started as a disguise turned into a trademark.
Billy attributes his stage craft influence to legendary Hollywood film art director and family relative Cedric Gibbons. “He pioneered the look of what took place on the big screen as an integral part of the storyline,” he says. In other words, ZZ Top has the look to go with the hooks.
Beyond the beards, the pure thrill and intensity of Billy’s blues overdrive guitar is the raw horsepower under the hood. Its propulsion still commands spontaneous combustion. “When it’s grinding with groove and grease, tune it in and crank it!” he exclaims.
ZZ Top lays the polished chrome finish on this beast to make it shine without muffling its thunder. For Billy, the vehicle has always been the blues.
“It’s the most expressive art form there is,” he says. “It gives voice to your heart and soul. It’s so compelling that its effect on one’s being can only be described as magic, and there’s no logical explanation
for its supernatural power. Without that peculiar American art form of blues, one wouldn’t have slivers of rock or even country. Our motto remains: Let’s play blues you can use.”
They are the spirit animals of rock ‘n’ roll—appearing out of the mist like a white buffalo waving you along Route 66.
Billy recalls his favorite moment of the ride: “It was a very late-night drive down a literal lonesome highway sometime through the early ’70s, hearing one of our records crackling over our raunchy radio in our crummy Econoline band van. Despite the start-up struggles of the band’s early period, that very moment we began feeling that all we had gone through seemed worth the crazy efforts. Those beginnings are what hold promise of making a middle and beyond.” ●
G. Love and Donavon &
“TO BE ABLE TO CREATE WITH OTHER WRITERS, PERFORMERS AND MUSICIANS THAT YOU LOVE AND RESPECT IS A GREAT JOY.”
One of the best things about BeachLife is the artist collaborations.
This year’s festival pairs the hip-hop/blues stylings of G. Love with the laid-back beach rock of Donavon Frankenreiter. Together they will perform selections from both artists’ song collections in a joint show.
“It only happens a few times a year, but when we do a collaborative set it’s like no other,” Donavon said in an interview. “We play all our songs from the last 20 years with half of his band and half of my band together as one.”
Collaboration is a key ingredient in G. Love’s Special Sauce as well. The Philadelphia phenom stays inspired by recording and performing with an array of other artists, young and old.
“I think collaboration brings the best out of everybody because you’re pushing each other in a positive direction and you bounce ideas off each other. To be able to create with other writers, performers and musicians that you love and respect is a great joy,” he says.
The duo co-released the album Live In Boston in 2023, and the partnered performance shows that the sum is greater than its parts. The jammed-out tracks put on a fresh coat, which Donavon describes
as “interpretations of what we feel in the moment on each other’s songs.”
This spontaneous reimagination lets the songwriters experience their compositions anew outside their original vision, and sets the performers free to experiment with live improvisation. “If Donavon is doing his own show, he’s seen every song—and same for me. So to be able to sit back and let Donavon take the lead and vice versa is
so much fun because we get to free-jam some guitar licks or harmonica and accompany each other and take it somewhere new together,” G. Love explains.
Setting the music free from expectations is the purpose of a good live performance. Something special happens in those one-of-a-kind live moments that cannot be reproduced, and one must bear witness to testify.
G. Love is honor-bound to the harmony the duo makes. “I have so much fun doing this show that it’s really all I want to be doing,” he says. “Donny feels the same way, and we’re just really excited that BeachLife booked us and we get to go do the thing!” ●
G. Love & Donavon Frankenreiter play BeachLife Festival Friday, May 3.
As the BeachLife Festival continues to celebrate the beach lifestyle that is indicative of our South Bay surfing and skating culture, we also hold dear the culture of food and beverage. With that in mind, this summer we will be opening BeachLife Grotto—inspired by old South Bay favorites like Millie Riera’s Seafood Grotto, the Admiral Risty and a noncorporate version of Chart House.
The venue will be helmed by Chef Jacob Ramos, who has benefited from a wealth of world travel throughout his career. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he studied at the California School of Culinary Arts and Le Cordon Bleu. Chef Jacob started his career with Patina Restaurant Group, working his way up from cook to senior sous chef at a one-star Michelin restaurant. Later working with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company as senior chef, Jacob opened restaurants at Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Residences and JW Marriott locations all over the world alongside chefs like Kerry Simon, Wolfgang Puck and José Andrés.
Venturing out on his own, Chef Jacob explored Mexico to find his own niche in the culinary world and landed at the famous Sunset Monalisa in Cabo San Lucas. There he received top accolades as one of the finest restaurants in the world. He was brought on last year to manage the food and beverage side of BeachLife.
Here Chef Jacob shares a delicious preparation of Alaskan halibut.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for cooking
1 shallot, minced
2 bulbs fennel, chopped
2 Alaskan halibut filets
sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a sauté pan over low. Add shallot and fennel and cook, covered, over very low heat so vegetables do not brown. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fennel is very soft and falling apart. Place mixture in a blender and blend for 5 minutes on high until very smooth.
Preheat oven to 350º. Drizzle oil in a separate sauté pan and heat until smoking hot. Season halibut with sea salt and gently place in pan; sear both sides. Turn off burner and place pan in oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 3 minutes before plating. Drizzle fennel sauce around the fish.
If you ask the members of legendary Hermosa Beach punk rock bands Black Flag, Circle Jerks and the Descendents who the godfathers of South Bay punk are, undoubtedly they will all say it’s the Nolte brothers and their psychedelic flavored, garage rock/surf punk band The Last.
Joe Nolte and his brothers, Mike and David, grew up all over Hermosa and Palos Verdes and witnessed firsthand the evolution of popular music from The Beatles to Jimi Hendrix, from The Stooges to Blondie and the Ramones. Frustrated by seeing the powerful music that started the rock revolution in the mid-’60s turn into mid’70s FM radio soft pop and bloated arena rock, they knew they would have to start a band of their own.
So the brothers started writing songs in their family’s garage. Joined by Vitus Matare on keyboards and Jack Reynolds on drums, they began playing local living room parties, eventually releasing their seminal album L.A. Explosion on Bomp Records in 1979.
It’s no wonder the vaunted Trouser Press magazine called it a “near-perfect debut.” When you listen to the album even today—especially the mid-album run of songs “Walk Like Me,” “Slavedriver” and “Every Summer Day”—it bristles with
“MAKE SURE YOU CATCH THE LAST AND THEIR SET AT THIS YEAR’S BEACHLIFE FESTIVAL, AND WITNESS SOME TRUE SOUTH BAY GARAGE ROCK, SURF PUNK ROYALTY.”
the spark and energy of punk but with the harmony and melodies of what The Beatles and The Beach Boys might have sounded like if they had remained in their respective garages.
Garage rock pioneers The Seeds and The Standells were definitely on the Noltes’ turntable at home, and it’s that unique blend of melody, attitude and
energy that influenced the pop-punkflavored tuneage of their grandsons, the Descendents. Make sure you catch The Last and their set at this year’s BeachLife Festival, and witness some true South Bay garage rock/surf punk royalty. ●
The Last play BeachLife Festival Saturday, May 4.
Seal’s voice resonates across time and space as if it were a gift “sent to us across the universe from a much, much prettier planet” (Stereogum). His inspirational and soulful music has touched many fans worldwide. Seal has sold over 30 million albums and amassed an astonishing 1 billion streams, solidifying his status as one of the most recognizable voices in the industry.
Throughout his illustrious career, Seal has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including four Grammys, three BRIT Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards. These accolades serve as a testament to his unparalleled talent and enduring impact on music.
In 1963 Seal was born in London to Nigerian and Brazilian parents. Named Sealhenry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, he earned an architectural degree and took various jobs around London, including electrical engineering. He even designed leather clothing before emerging from the vibrant music scene of 1990s England. He rose to prominence with a fusion of soul, folk, pop, dance and rock that captivated audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
His early success was remarkable. An Ivor Novello Award for his first single set the stage for an incredible career. Seal’s
eponymous debut album, produced in collaboration with Trevor Horn, featured the breakout hit “Crazy,” which soared to the top of the charts in both the U.K. and the U.S.
Following his meteoric rise, the release of his second album, also titled Seal, marked another milestone in his career. Bolstered by the haunting ballad “Kiss from a Rose,” featured on the soundtrack of Batman Forever, the album achieved multiplatinum status and garnered three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Seal released Human Being, his third album, and followed that up five years later with the release of Seal IV, propelling him back into the Top 10 of both the U.K. and U.S. album charts.
In the years that followed, Seal continued to evolve as an artist, exploring new musical territories with albums like Soul and Soul 2, where he covered classic soul songs
with a modern twist. Collaborating with acclaimed producers like David Foster and Trevor Horn, Seal’s music reached new heights—earning gold, platinum and diamond status across multiple territories.
In 2017 Seal embarked on a new chapter in his career with Standards, a collection of pop standards recorded in part at the historic Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. Produced by Nick Patrick, the album showcases Seal’s timeless vocals against a backdrop of jazz and pop, paying homage to classics while adding his unique flair.
“HIS ABILITY TO BLEND DIVERSE GENRES AND DELIVER STIRRING PERFORMANCES HAS SOLIDIFIED HIS STATUS AS A MUSICAL ICON.”
Throughout his career, Seal’s music has transcended boundaries—resonating with audiences across generations. His ability to blend diverse genres and deliver stirring performances has solidified his status as a musical icon. ●
Seal plays BeachLife Festival Friday, May 3.
The reverb-soaked vocals that flow out of Jim James resound like a waterfall, emitting a cool and cleansing mist. This is the wellspring of My Morning Jacket’s sacred sound that’s like a rushing cascade of refreshing and restorative water thundering through a rocky canyon hollow, echoing eternity.
Jim’s inspiration for his songs circles in that current. “I’m not the kind of songwriter who can sit down and deliberately make something happen or change. It has to be nurtured, and then it will flow. I try not to question it. I have to spend time with it, then bring it into the real world and let it flow some more,” he told Joshua Miller in an interview with grammy.com.
There is a deeper undertow to this band. Jim and bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster penetrate its depths. The band is at its best when going with the flow, according to James. “When it’s just the five of us together, it enables us to focus on our friendship and the energy between us in this really special way that removes all the pressure. We let things fly, and I think that results in a lot of moments that are really beautiful and spontaneous,” he says.
My Morning Jacket is the call of the
“THE BAND ANSWERS ALL THE PAIN AND CONFUSION OF THIS WORLD WITH ONE GIGANTIC, COLLECTIVE HOWL OF UNBREAKABLE SPIRIT AND SOUND.”
supposed to make our lives better,” says Jim. “Social media is tearing us apart, and people forget their own dreams and their own creativity because they wash it all away each night, bingeing and streaming. I write from being washed away myself. I found this moment where I saw how washed away I was getting.”
At times, Jim looks like a crazed castaway when performing onstage. At Coachella 2006, the sound and vision of this wild man seemed impossibly at odds.
Jim sprouted long hair in every direction, covering his face completely with thick, greasy old growth, looking more like the front man of a death metal band. Then that mythical voice rose out, singing the words to “Golden.” Watchers were spellbound by some deep elder forest magic, something immortally pure.
You’ll be right here forever
We’ll go thru this thing together
And on heaven’s golden shore we’ll lay our heads
wild. The band answers all the pain and confusion of this world with one gigantic, collective howl of unbreakable spirit and sound that is determined not to let humanity wither in our modern world.
“I feel like we’ve all gotten swept away in this tidal wave of technology and that we’re all drowning in social media, in streaming content and all this stuff that’s
The human spirit that My Morning Jacket evokes still moves. Jim and company won’t be satisfied until they get it all out of their system … until that high lonesome cry echoing through the misty mountains is answered by a thrilling electrified landslide. ●
My Morning Jacket plays BeachLife Festival Sunday, May 5.
WRITTEN BY TANYA MONAGHAN
ordon Sumner’s life was destined for greatness—but by another name. Born on October 2, 1951, in Wallsend, England, he was eventually christened “Sting” by a fellow musician because of a distinctive black-and-yellow striped sweater that he often wore. The name would become synonymous with musical genius
and innovation.
Sting’s early years were marked by dedication and perseverance as he honed his skills playing bass with various local bands like Newcastle Big Band, The Phoenix Jazzmen, Earthrise and Last Exit. Despite Last Exit’s regional success, the emergence of punk rock in 1976 signaled the end of its jazz fusion journey. However, it also marked the beginning of something extraordinary for Sting.
A chance meeting with Stewart Copeland, drummer of Curved Air, led to the formation of The Police, alongside guitarist Andy Summers. Their fusion of new wave and reggae rhythms set them apart.
Despite initial struggles in the U.K., they found success in the United States. Hits like “Roxanne” and “Message In A Bottle” catapulted them to stardom, and they embarked on a world tour that solidified The Police’s status as one of the biggest bands of the era.
However, creative tensions within the band eventually led to its dissolution in 1984, prompting Sting to embark on a solo career. His debut album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, showcased his versatility as a musician and songwriter, earning critical acclaim and BEACHLIFE FESTIVAL 2024
“HIS RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE AND HIS UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO HIS CRAFT HAVE SOLIDIFIED STING’S STATUS AS A MUSICAL ICON.”
commercial success. With subsequent albums like ...Nothing Like The Sun and Ten Summoner’s Tales, Sting continued to push boundaries and explore new musical territories.
His influence extended beyond the realm of music, as he pursued acting roles and became involved in humanitarian causes. His performances in films like Quadrophenia and Brimstone and Treacle showcased his talent as an actor, while his participation in events like The Secret Policeman Ball demonstrated his commitment to social justice.
In 2003 Sting reunited with The Police for a historic world tour, delighting fans around the globe with its timeless classics. The tour’s success was a testament to the enduring legacy of the band and its impact on popular culture.
Sting’s solo career continued to thrive, with albums like Brand New Day and Sacred Love showcasing his ongoing evolution as an artist. Collaborations with artists like Shaggy and Paul Simon further demonstrated his willingness to experiment and innovate.
In recent years, Sting has continued to push boundaries with projects like Songs From The Labyrinth, a tribute to the Elizabethan songwriter John Dowland, and The Last Ship, a musical inspired by his childhood experiences
in Wallsend. He continues to grace select stages around the world, which is why we feel so privileged to welcome him to BeachLife Festival.
With more than 60 prestigious awards including 18 Grammys and 30 BMI awards—as well as Emmy’s, Golden Globes and even several Oscar nominations and an honorary doctorate in music—his relentless pursuit of artistic excellence and his unwavering commitment to his craft have solidified Sting’s status as a musical icon. As he celebrates over five decades in the music industry, his influence remains as strong as ever.
From his humble beginnings in Wallsend to the global stage, his journey is a testament to the power of passion, creativity and perseverance.
And as he continues to intrigue and surprise audiences around the world, one thing is certain: The legend of Sting will endure for generations to come. ●
Sting plays BeachLife Festival Friday, May 3.
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The heavy riffs, slap bass and turntable scratching of Incubus made the band, fronted by Brandon Boyd, an early progenitor of the late ’90s nu-metal movement. But the band’s roots and lifestyle were far more laid-back. Formed in Calabasas in 1991, the Incubus sound was always more indebted to a beach vibe—born of stoner punk, funk and psychedelia.
The band’s third album, Make Yourself, earned mainstream and critical success, bolstered by the hit single “Drive.” Their eagerly anticipated follow-up, Morning View (named for Morning View Drive, the Malibu street where the band lived to record the album), went double platinum.
Last year the band rerecorded the album, titled Morning View XXIII, set for release May 24.
We caught up with Brandon to discuss revisiting the past, his surfer roots and how he still gets nerves before stepping on stage.
Growing up a SoCal kid, did you always feel an attraction to the ocean?
BRANDON BOYD: We took a family trip to Pismo Beach when I was 9, and I remember standing on the pier and watching kids who were my age in wetsuits with surfboards paddling out and then catching waves. I immediately thought, “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
That’s when my love affair with being in
the water and making surfing my daily ritual began. I was on the local surf team in Calabasas. I competed in the uni division, which is little kids, and the boys division, which is a little bit bigger kids. Once I got into the junior division, I started competing against teenagers. So I was 13 competing against 17-year-olds. That’s when competing became a lot less fun because I went from winning all the time to losing to these older kids from Orange County and San Diego.
What was it like rerecording Morning View? Was the love still just as strong, or was it sort of like an old lover where the flame didn’t burn as bright?
The flame was definitely still there. But it’s
a project that was fraught with danger because it was something we made in 2001, which people seemed to vibe with and over time have fallen in love with. It’s something very personal to them. The response to the same band remaking it would either be, “Oh, I’ll check that out,” or “Don’t do it. If it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it.” We knew that going into it, and so we approached it like a glorified live record. I’m happy we did it because the flame is definitely still there. Those songs are still in the forefront of my heart and mind.
Do you still feel that same spark when you step on stage? Or is it something you have to dig a little deeper for now?
I have never once—even after doing it
literally thousands of times—not been at the very least a little bit nervous. That’s where that spark comes from. It’s excitement and nervousness. It’s also an acknowledgment that each time we do this, because we’re playing live, there are circumstances every night that change how these songs might sound—even though we know them very well. So it’s always exciting. Even under the weirdest circumstances, I’ve never walked on stage thinking, “Oh, here we go again.” It just doesn’t occur to me, because that call to adventure is still very exciting. ●
Incubus plays BeachLife Festival Saturday, May 4.
“I’M HAPPY WE DID IT BECAUSE THE FLAME IS DEFINITELY STILL THERE. THOSE SONGS ARE STILL IN THE FOREFRONT OF MY HEART AND MIND.”
Nobody can argue that women have dominated the music industry in the last couple of years. And with so many rising stars to watch, one you should definitely be tuning in to is Courtney Barnett. Of course, having been nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy award for her 2015 debut album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, she may already be on your most-played Spotify list. But if not, she’s sure to soon be.
A proud daughter of Australia, Courtney remains one of the country’s most accomplished exports since she burst onto the mainstream scene back in 2015. She is known for a somewhat rambling delivery— her songs punctuated by lyrics that feel as if her journal came alive, full of poetry.
At times it might feel as though she’s giving us a little wink: “I don’t know a lot about you but/You seem to know a lot about me,” she laments in “Need a Little Time” from her second album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, released in 2018. She’s angsty, she’s funny, and she always knows how to tell us exactly how she feels in her signature deadpan delivery.
Her third album, Things Take Time, Take Time, released in 2021, has a more reserved quality but is still lush with her signature sense of humor. Most recently, Courtney released 2023’s instrumental album, End of the Day, which is the score to Anonymous Club, a documentary film by Danny Cohen. For three years Danny toured with Courtney in Europe, the United States, Asia, and also at home in Melbourne—capturing her internal
struggles, her relationship to fame, and understanding her place as an artist and musician.
Hopefully for us, she will keep finding that place over and over again and continue to regale us with her limitless talent in the years to come. ●
Courtney Barnett plays BeachLife Festival Sunday, May 5.
“A PROUD DAUGHTER OF AUSTRALIA, COURTNEY REMAINS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S MOST ACCOMPLISHED EXPORTS SINCE SHE BURST ONTO THE MAINSTREAM SCENE.”
In 1978, DEVO’s debut album
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo! became an unlikely underground hit, with a sound not quite human but instantly engaging. A mix of art rock, punk and electro-pop, it wasn’t until 1980’s Freedom of Choice, bolstered by the platinum single and MTV staple “Whip It,” that the world was properly introduced to the band and their social theory of “de-volution”—a somewhat tongue-in-cheek worldview that society is in a downward spiral of decadence fueled by overconsumption, mechanism and stupidity.
DEVO’s response for the last 50 years has been to dance in the flames and poke fun at conventional notions of normality and conformity. Cofounders Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casele shared some thoughts with us about endurance, never learning to surf and being the “New Wave Grateful Dead.”
What appeals to you about BeachLife Festival? Is it the commitment to clean beaches, a healthy coastal lifestyle or the eclectic lineup?
MARK MOTHERSBAUGH: It’s all three of those things. Clean beaches are really important for the planet, and I like the lineup. Actually, it’s kind of funny because I look at the lineup, and the bands with the smallest type are the ones I’m most interested in seeing
GERALD CASALE: I like seeing things that are completely outside my aesthetic wheelhouse. I’m interested in seeing Incubus, which is another world that fascinates me. When it comes to beaches, growing up in Ohio, by the time I stood on a beach and watched big waves come in, I knew that I was never going to surf.
MM: We looked at surfboards in awe back in Ohio. We were like, “Wow, that’s amazing. How do people get to do that?”
GC: But I love watching surfers. I first encountered surf culture on a trip in the late ’60s with my good college friend who I hatched the whole idea of devolution with. He and I created that idea in college before it became associated with music, and before it became shortened to DEVO. We flew out to California and spent six weeks in San Clemente and Dana Beach. It was eye-opening and life-changing to be dumped into that culture. Just the way these surf guys lived and the way they talked and watching them do what they do, it was fascinating. Every day was great.
Do hardcore DEVO fans ever freak you out with their intensity?
MM: I feel like hardcore DEVO fans are important, because I don’t know if your readers know this, but we’re getting kind of old now [laughs]. To me, the fans are DEVO. They will carry on the message of what DEVO was about after we’re long gone or our brains are trapped in glass bottles. The message of DEVO is more important than ever. We’ve talked for 50 years about de-evolution and humans being the unnatural species on planet Earth. I think it’s a great time for humans to realign themselves with, and respect, the planet.
Have you seen a younger audience embracing DEVO?
GC: There’s empirical evidence, yes. I call us the New Wave Grateful Dead jokingly, but there are three generations of people coming out to see DEVO. The younger generations discovered us through social media and YouTube. I really noticed it when we played the Darker Waves festival. When we were coming on right at sunset, we looked out and saw a wave of migrating people coming toward our stage. I was
looking at enough people to fill the Hollywood Bowl, and I could see their faces because the sun hadn’t gone down.
There were a lot of young people in the crowd, and they were wearing the DEVO red hats. We saw people as old as ourselves, the senior citizens. We saw them, and my heart swelled. They liked what they heard, and that was pretty vindicating. ●
“THE MESSAGE OF DEVO IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER.”
allcove is a place for young people (ages 12-25) to take a moment of pause and access a range of services that include:
•Mental health.
•Physical health.
•Substance use.
•Peer support.
•Family support.
•Supported education and employment.
(310)374-5706
allcoveBeachCities@bchd.org
@allcovebeachcities
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Saturday
Head Chef and Matriarch, Lucia grew up in Pacentro Italy watching her mom prepare home-made pastas and italian dishes from family recipes that were carried down through generations. Lucia carries on this tradition at Radici, making home-made pastas using fresh ingredients from the local farmers market. Become transported to Italy at Radici.
Come enjoy complete relaxation at one of our stunning rooptop pools by booking through ResortPass.com. Looking to extend your staycation? Reserve today at ShadeHotel.com.
WRITTEN BY GAVIN HEANEY
Every island has its own style, but they are all connected by water. The reggae of Jamaica and the slack-key guitar of Hawai’i both have their own roots, yet they reflect each other from the sides of the sea. For Pepper, this is makai, the ocean side.
“I really do feel like there is a frequency that lends itself to island lifestyle, and even all the way across the world from each other, it still resonates,” says Kaleo Wassman, singer and guitarist, who with Bret Bollinger on bass and drummer
Yesod Williams forms the band. Pepper emerged from the small town of Kona on the Big Island of Hawai’i in the late ’90s as a cross strain of breezy, local Jawaiian reggae and the punk rock soundtrack of Taylor Steele surf movies.
Following the lead of Sublime, Pepper became a mainstay of the new punky reggae party that emerged in Southern California and has since laid down new roots in the South Bay. “We have a studio that we acquired from Pennywise in Redondo, and I still remember the first time I went to Captain Kidd’s,” says Kaleo.
“You guys have your own special zone, it’s fantastic.”
For Pepper, it’s all about ohana—the family, friends and people who surround you in community. The band’s music organically sustains this. “My parents are players, their friends, my uncles and my aunties, they all just got together kani ka pila style, jamming music. We grew up with that,” Kaleo says.
The band has tended to its island roots and continues to branch out by collaborating with and producing upcoming and legendary reggae artists from
Kona to Kingston. For Pepper, each new album is an opportunity not only to pay homage to its reggae-rock influences but to expand the circle of connection, camaraderie and synergy that surrounds the band.
Kaleo is ready to jam with his South Bay family: “Ohana, I am so excited about BeachLife. Let’s hang, let’s watch Sting and just have a really fun time in the South Bay. It’s the place to be awesome!” ●
Pepper plays BeachLife Festival Saturday, May 4.
“FOR PEPPER, IT’S ALL ABOUT OHANA—THE FAMILY, FRIENDS AND PEOPLE WHO SURROUND YOU IN COMMUNITY.”
“Turning Dreams into Reality for our South Bay Community Since 2009.”
Lisa Moule
310.428.8958
lisamoule7@gmail.com
LisaMouleRealty.com
DRE 01870856
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Head High Brand Ambassador
Our brand ambassadors are more than a face; they embody the ethos that define us.
As a female led company that offsets carbon through ocean restoration, partnering with us was a natural fit for Kaleigh. Born and raised in Southern California, she is a professional surfer and water polo player- dedicated to her community and committed to something greater than herself. At Head High we are committed to being kind to the earth, and making Sonoma County wines for every day enjoyment. What are you committed to?
WRITTEN BY TANYA MONAGHAN
antigold, born Santi White, is a true Renaissance woman. A creative visionary across various platforms, she has left an indelible mark on the world of music, art and fashion. She is a genre-defying style renegade, renowned for her ability to seamlessly blend unexpected elements into her work. She carves a unique path in any medium she focuses her incredible talents on.
Her debut album, Santogold, released in 2008, remains a defining contribution to contemporary pop music. It served as a catalyst for the cross-genre sound that now dominates the industry. Santigold’s fearless approach to music fused an eclectic mix of genres into the album, from punk and reggae to electronic and hip-hop.
Collaborations have been a hallmark of Santigold’s career. She has worked with a host of other stars, including Jay-Z, David Byrne, Tyler the Creator, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Amadou & Mariam, Beastie Boys, Drake and Pharrell. Her ability to seamlessly integrate her unique style with diverse artists is a testament to her versatility.
Santigold’s creative visual work includes album covers, live shows and videos. She has joined forces with renowned visual artists such as Wangechi
Mutu, Kehinde Wiley, Sanford Biggers and Kara Walker, creating stunning and thought-provoking pieces. Never content to limit herself, Santigold has even applied her sharp wit and charisma to comedic roles on popular shows like The Office and Adult Swim’s NTSF:SD:SUV and lent her visionary talents to brands like Stance, Smashbox and Vans.
Santigold’s recent ventures include the release of her album Spirituals in 2022, accompanied by a series of captivating videos and a line of teas inspired by the album’s themes. She has also launched the podcast Noble Champions, where she unites leading artists, authors, activists and progressive thinkers to discuss pressing cultural issues.
Fans of Santigold will have the opportunity to witness her artistic brilliance live at BeachLife Festival. Don’t miss the chance to experience the multidimensional talents of this extraordinary artist as she continues to shape and redefine contemporary culture.
As an inimitable pioneer, Santigold’s refusal to conform has made her a profound inspiration to many. Her ability to fuse various art forms and her courageous approach to creativity have solidified her status as a boundary-pushing icon. ●
Santigold plays BeachLife Festival Saturday, May 4. BEACHLIFE
“SHE IS A GENRE-DEFYING STYLE RENEGADE, RENOWNED FOR HER ABILITY TO SEAMLESSLY BLEND UNEXPECTED ELEMENTS INTO HER WORK.”
“IMPROVISATION IS A HIGH ART, AND TREY’S ABILITY TO AD-LIB MUSICALLY IS NEAR TELEPATHIC.”
He looks out without seeing across the audience. His lips move and mutter with his guitar licks, and he has all the appearance of a psychic in a self-induced trance, channeling some
spirit. Trey Anastasio is in the zone—a state of powerful concentration imbued with supernatural suppleness allowing him to perform instantaneous musical compositions in real time.
“I don’t want to know what I’m going to play when I go out onstage,” he said in a
2022 Relix magazine interview with editorin-chief Dean Budnick. “I just want to go out there and make it up.”
Improvisation is a high art, and Trey’s ability to ad-lib musically is near telepathic. Jazz is largely considered the genre for this phenomenon, but when rock
musicians began to experiment with it, the jam band was born. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead is perhaps the most iconic embodiment of this musical wizardry, but Trey is its next evolution.
“Songwriting, to me, is not that different than improvising. The more you get your
hands off it and get out of the way, the easier it is. I write every single day. I don’t separate it from anything else. It’s just in the fabric of what I do,” says Trey, who is also cofounder of the rock band Phish. Like the Dead, Trey uses traditional song structure as a launching pad to the zone, and his songwriting is accomplished with that in mind.
“The way I think about songs is almost the way I think about having children. I think we’re lucky that a child’s spirit gets to pass through us as parents, but that’s not my spirit,” he says.
The spirit that he passes is one of enlightened jubilation, evident by the frenetic and ecstatic dancing he manipulates with his modal mastery. It winds you up with an everescalating buildup of surgical tension, and just when your mind is splitting, it explodes open with a climactic meltdown of triumphant rock guitar. Trey’s uncanny synchrony with the crowd makes you wonder if the audience is the actual instrument he is playing.
Lyrically, Trey is always a fascinated child doodling imaginative imagery. His words seem to grope at expressing shades of emotion that are subliminal, complex and sometimes indecipherable. Perhaps his greatest talent is getting out of his own way and permitting a deeper, subjective meaning to manifest.
“The struggle is not getting caught up
in your editor brain during that creative period and saying yes to life,” he advises. His lyrics in “Shine” display a multiverse of metaphoric meaning:
Lines, thicker than ground
You surf, and it’s real
To soar, over and down
To bend, and to breathe on
Other times, using free association he chants mumbo-jumbo words until a pattern emerges and anthems are born organically or even accidentally. Trey may be the intellectual’s musician, but his bouncing and contagious sing-alongs are instantly inviting to all and can be hilariously challenging to decipher.
His song “Gotta Jibboo,” for example, has countless chat pages with fans positing what on earth a “jibboo” is. In the end, it’s left for the listener to decide as Trey captains us through his musical and lyrical landscapes to where the wild things are— where music roams free in its primordial state, untethered from convention
I have been on many musical journeys with this man at the helm, from the swamps of the Florida Everglades to the canyons of Washington’s Gorge. Now you can take the journey too with Classic TAB (Trey Anastasio Band) at BeachLife Festival ●
“DIRTY HEADS CONTINUE TO ENTERTAIN, SURPRISE AND DELIGHT US WITH A QUINTESSENTIAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SOUNDTRACK OF HIP-HOP, REGGAE AND ROCK.”
Ihave to admit, I was a little nervous going into my phone call with Duddy B, co-frontman of Dirty Heads. After all, this guy is a bona fide rock star who, alongside his band members, broke out in 2008 with their album Any Port in a Storm, where a little single called “Lay Me Down” hung out at #1 for 11 straight weeks. Lucky for us, that was just the beginning.
Dirty Heads continue to entertain, surprise and delight us with a quintessential Southern California soundtrack of hip-hop, reggae and rock all melted together in one beautiful, chill pot. So … yeah. I was a bit of
a jittery jumble when I got looped through to Duddy. But much like the music he’s famous for, his relaxed, friendly vibe put me at ease, and I thought, “Wow. Rock stars. They’re just like us.”
Duddy did meet my giddiness, however, when I asked him if they were excited to play alongside Sting at BeachLife this year. I could feel his face light up over the phone. Bucket list, he declared. And then the lyrics to their viral sensation popped into my head: “A-a-ay, I’m on vacation every single day ’cause I love my occupation.”
I suppose performing alongside a legend might be even better than vacation, but it’s just another day at the job
for these guys. With eight studio albums and a full tour schedule, it doesn’t look like Dirty Heads will be quitting their day job anytime soon.
But don’t expect a rowdy tour bus of bona fide rock star attitudes; these guys prefer to spend their downtime bingeing Lifetime movies and strumming along to Charley Crockett. Definitely check him out, Duddy told me. And when a rock star suggests you check something out, I highly recommend doing so. ●
Dirty Heads play BeachLife Festival Friday, May 3.
Abillboard went up, bold and brightly bulbed, on Pacific Coast Highway in Lomita a couple of years ago. In large letters, the sign said “CANNABIS” and included an arrow pointing up Western Avenue.
The Evolv Cannabis dispensary is appropriately named. As part of the new wave of stores opening throughout California since recreational marijuana legalization in 2018. The new storefront is indicative of the rapidly evolving cannabis industry, albeit the very forefront of that evolution. There’s nothing half hidden nor vaguely illicit about it; the store is
And here is where Evolv is at the very cutting edge of the Cannabis industry: its product lines, from marijuana flower to vape pens to edibles, lotions, tinctures and teas, are all lab tested for both potency and quality. Once it meets that criteria, it has to be scrutinized by the in house buyer/aficionado. This is a high level of curation. Evolv both
chooses and sells its cannabis products as carefully as any upscale boutique in the world.
Mark Adams, the founder/owner, got his start in medical Cannabis in 2006 when illness struck a family member and safe access to Cannabis didn’t exist. He was outraged and made it his mission to provide for patients’ needs. He has since served as director of the Medical Cannabis Association, Lead product developer for Delta-9 and Harmony farms products and was instrumental in Project CBD started in 2008.
“We have evolved from medicinnal to recreational but never forgot our roots in alternative medicine,” said Adams. “We leave it open for people to choose what they want, a natural alternative or just elevate their personal journey. That’s what makes us the South Bay’s premier Cannabis store.”
Evolv’s flower selection is all likewise carefully chosen but includes a broad range of strains and price points with quality always at top of mind. The store offers discounts in the form of a “Daily Deal” and has monthly sales on the 1st and 15th of the month as a sign of appreciation for its customers. You can also have it delivered directly to your home.
