The 111 Music Festival took place November 1, 2014. The Coachella Valley Art Scene & SunLine Transit Agency produced the first ever mobile music festival in the Coachella Valley. The CVAS successfully put 29 local music acts on the right buses, at the right times, going the right direction.

On that Saturday, for the first time ever, the busses were filled with 1/2 commuters and the other 1/2 were music fans. For 4 hours the two groups who were once different slowly molded into one and together they traveled along HWY 111 with live entertainment that introduced them to new music and a new perspective on what public transportation is like in the Coachella Valley.

After so much positive feedback from the crowd and the artists, we hope to make instances like the “Sound Bus” happen on a more regular basis. Possibly, a monthly happening of acoustic acts performing on the bus.

Big thank you to all the artists, SunLine Transit, City Councils, fans, bus drivers and every day rider who were apart of the music festival this past weekend.

PHOTO RECAP: 111 MUSIC FESTIVAL

photos taken by Rafael Lopez of The CVAS, station in Indio at the Flower & HWY 111 bus stop/stage

The Lineup for Flower & HWY 111 Stage:

Out of the 13 buses that travel along HWY 111 on a normal Saturday afternoon from 3pm-7pm, 6 of them had music on them. These 6 buses ran on their normal schedule and cost the normal fare to get on board – $1.

Each bus that was powered up with music had signage on the bus that read, “SoundBus”. And if you couldn’t see it coming down the road…you certainly could hear it.

First band to board the bus was Blasting Echo, a rock n roll based out of Palm Desert. They typically roll out in a larger group at bars and events, but for our festival they minimized their production down to a 2 piece band to fit in the back of the bus. Great reviews from their set.

Blasting Echo rode from Indio to Palm Desert on Line 111.

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Second band to board from the Flower & HWY 111 stage was Los Mumblers. They are from Indio, CA. fun fact about Los Mumblers is that The CVAS booked them 6 years ago for our first ever party, Something From Nothing. Thanks, guys, for keeping it real.

Burning Bettie was the 3rd band to board the bus….and it’s safe to say they were the largest band! All those who had the opportunity to ride with Burning Bettie from Indio to Palm Desert were surely in for a treat!These guys are pretty amazing…and we must note that we love the extra safety precaution of the band member wearing a helmet! 😉

A photo of Burning Bettie’s set up on the bus. Whoever thought the SunBus could be the perfect intimate venue for such a bad ass rock band?!?!

The young an talented, Maddy Ebersole, was the 4th artist to launch out from the Flower & HWY 111 stage. She is a singer songwriter from Coachella/La Quinta. She is only 20 years old, but has the voice of a 90’s legend already. Keep an eye our for Maddy over these next couple of years.

Maddy Ebersole’s set up on the SunBus the day of our 111 Music Festival.

Her voice is as smooth as butter!

A band that didn’t board at Flower & HWY 111, but ended their set there was MACHIN!

Machin is a fantastic band based in Yucca Valley. They were a 111 Music Festival favorite as they played before they boarded (at Hahn & Town Center Way in Palm Desert), on the bus, and even after they got off.

Machin decided to play at the front of the bus… we loved it!

*yes, you see correctly – the violinist is not wearing shoes. That’s just the kind of essentric Aquarius that she is!

Machin played the most, and got the most tips….all $6 in ones. Hey, better than nothin.

Another artist that rode into Flower & HWY 111, but didn’t board was DJ All Night Shoes. All Night Shoes traveled from Palm Springs to Indio. When All Night Shoes’s bus pulled up, Alf Alpha got on.

Rafael Lopez snapped this photo of All Night Shoes as he ended his set, before Alf Alpha started his.

Alf Alpha boarded the bus at 5:37pm heading Westbound to Palm Springs from Flower & HWY 111 in Indio.

Alf Alpha’s set was a great way to end the festival. He played some classic funk & soul, old school hip hop and ended his set in Palm Springs on a House vibe. The crowd LOVED IT.