Where to begin. A flood of thoughts on a rainy Monday morning, but, like all things, this has to start somewhere, (read on for hidden meaning here.) So Yes 2008 has abruptly come to an end this month, another sad year closer to 2012 as my contemporaries might say, but yes it is over and we now have a moment to sit back in the sand, and take a critical look at the year that was the year of the rat (also read on for hidden meaning).
When I think back to 2008, honestly a lot of it is a blur, no hidden meaning here, it’s just hard to remember. But I do remember the Coachella Valley Scene growing a lot, now before the hail of myspace slurs and anonymous comments come in, let me elaborate. In the past year I have seen the overall quality of live music increase. I have seen the quality of shows increase, people taking time to craft an evening of music. The talent pool has widened, I have seen musicians collaborating and experimenting more, taking risks, and having fun. This poll was the idea of Sarah Scheideman and myself; this was our attempt to give credit and praise to artists of the Coachella Valley.
A strong, mature, art and music scene is like a tapestry, it’s a self-contained image, made up of interconnected threads, standing back, that looks beautiful. Just like with a scene, you have to start a tapestry with 1 string. You have the idea of what it is to look like, you have the frame or loom built, but you start with one string, then you add a second, and then a third. We have to start somewhere, in no way is the tapestry of the Coachella Valley finished, and in history there have been many different tapestries already made here, but in the past few years, we have been starting a new one, and, at the beginning, it doesn’t look like much. But this is a call to all those who stand behind us while we are weaving and say “That’s not scene, that’s no tapestry, what are you doing?” Of course it’s not, it’s not finished yet, we’re still building, we’ve only got a few strings laid out, of course we’re not there yet. It’s a process, just like creating art, right now we got something though, and these artists are working towards what we have, so let us celebrate them.
So in conclusion, congratulations to all artists of the Coachella Valley, creation is the process we all revolve around, so feel good that we can look back on the year and know that we have created a lot. We have produced shows, new music, films, paintings, poetry & prose, clothing, & a lot of great parties, and we have done it all on our own. Independence is a great virtue, and the Coachella Valley has that, so lets hope in 2009 we grow even more, but creatively. Until then, like I always say, do something! Here are your “Best Of” artists of The Coachella Valley:

The Date Farmers were voted by the Coachella Valley Art Scene’s viewers as the Coachella Valley’s Best Artists of 2008.


Date Farmers Party – Part I from Steven Preston on Vimeo.




F/22 • PRESENTS • ALL ELEMENTS • (OFFICIAL) • LO-FI GRIME • B-BOYISM • 735th REGIMENT from composure through exposure on Vimeo.


Date Farmers Party – Part IV from Steven Preston on Vimeo.




