2025 High Desert Soundings Artist Support Fund

High Desert Soundings

High Desert Soundings is a two-day outdoor music festival near Joshua Tree National Park. The festival is dedicated to presenting exciting performances by musicians from across the spectrum of experimental sound practices.

<p fr-original-style='margin:0px;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;' style='margin:0px;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;'>High Desert Soundings returns to The Palms outside of Joshua Tree, CA on October 16th and 17th. T﻿his year&#39;s lineup features the diversity of sonic practices characteristic of the festival -- noise, free improv, modular synths, computer music, desert jazz, sound installations, and everything in between and out. All proceeds go directly back to artists and for making this festival happen.<hr fr-original-style="" style="clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"><p fr-original-style='margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;' style='margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;'>Adam Lion | Andrew Tholl | Angel | Anqi Liu &amp; Kyle Motl | Bruckner-Orgel | Carlos Santistevan | Cassia Streb &amp; Tim Feeney | Clay Chaplin | Ellery Everet | Emmett Palaima | Garrett Wingfield | GNEISS | Gr Gr | haana lee | Heather Lockie | Henna Chou | Jeff Schwartz | Kevin Corcoran | Kim Nucci | LOW BLEEDS | MTN GRL | Music Research Strategies &amp; Your Biggest Hater | Mystic Elevator | Nicki Chen | Phill Smith | Steve Blum | Tatsuya Nakatani | Vinny Golia&nbsp;<p fr-original-style='margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;' style='margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;'>PLUS: Saturday morning potluck organized by Chris Hadley<hr fr-original-style="" style="clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"><p fr-original-style='margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;' style='margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;'>Single-day tickets and Festival passes available. Rustic camping (with flushing toilets and basic shower) is free of charge adjacent to the venue.&nbsp;<p fr-original-style='margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;' style='margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;'>L﻿ine-up subject to change. Attendees assume any bodily risk or damage or theft to property.<hr fr-original-style="" style="clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"><p fr-original-style='margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;' style='margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;line-height:1.5rem;color:rgb(111, 114, 135);font-family:"Neue Plak", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;'>For more information, please visit <a fr-original-style="color:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;user-select:auto;box-sizing:inherit;" href="https://highdesertsoundings.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: inherit; text-decoration: inherit; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">highdesertsoundings.com/</a>

2026 Festival Tickets

High Desert Soundings needs your help! Our 2026 festival, October 16th and 17th at The Palms restaurant in Wonder Valley, is right around the corner! This year's lineup is as dynamic and exciting as ever, including Tatsuya Nakatani, Music Research Strategies (Marshall Trammel) and Your Biggest Hater (Lemuel Marc), Gneiss, haana lee, Angel, and MTN GRL; curated ensembles made up of some of the most exciting improvisers from all over the country; multiple sound installations around the Palms; and a Saturday morning potluck! This year, we're trying to raise a modest $2500. All funds generated by you will go directly towards the artists themselves. We are a DIY festival, and any amount will go a long way in making sure that we can continue to offer experimental music in the desert. We do not make a profit - we do this out of love and support for our community to come together for two days of shared sonic exploration, with this year featuring over 20 artists.If you donate as little as $15, we are confident we will reach our goal!About HDSHigh Desert Soundings is a two-day outdoor music festival near Joshua Tree National Park in the California High Desert. Founded in 2018 by T.J. Borden and Daniel Meyer-O’Keefe, the festival is a crossroads of experimental musicians from different communities and backgrounds, coming together to share their work and perspectives. The festival is held at the Palms Restaurant in Wonder Valley, a homesteading frontier community. The Palms is the primary meeting place for the diverse group of artists and free spirits who call the desert valley home. Wonder Valley's natural beauty and remarkable quiet set the stage for unique, immersive, and eclectic performances. High Desert Soundings is currently directed by T.J. Borden (Artistic Director, Founder) and Ethan Marks (Executive Director) and under the fiscal sponsorship of Fractured Atlas Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We have featured performances from Wolf Eyes, Sarah Hennies, King Britt, Michael Pisaro-Liu, Vinny Golia, Agriculture, Audrey Chen and Phil Minton, Palberta, Jeph Jerman, Jack Wright, Carolyn Chen, and many more.Our MissionHigh Desert Soundings is dedicated to presenting exciting performances by musicians from across the spectrum of experimental sound practices. Featured artists draw from styles including but not limited to new and contemporary concert music, free jazz and improvisation, noise, drone, and outsider pop music. Their backgrounds are as eclectic as their music: performers come from academic and non-academic institutions, underground and DIY scenes, concert halls and art galleries, from across the country and overseas. By relocating these diverse musical practices outside of their typical, sometimes restrictive environments, we believe we can help foster a more dynamic and inclusive experimental music community.What Does The Festival Look Like

2026 High Desert Soundings Artist Support Fund

Artists keep 100% of their merch sales! HDS shop proceeds go directly toward artist fees and production costs.&nbsp;

Artists keep 100% of their merch sales!HDS shop proceeds go directly toward artist fees and production costs.

High Desert Soundings

High Desert Soundings

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2026 High Desert Soundings Artist Support Fund

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