How the West Was Won: A Coachella Oral History
How Punk Rock, Rave Culture, and a Desert Town Created the Most Influential Music Festival in North America
Sixteen years ago, long before the festival became the cultural juggernaut it is today, URB published what we’re pretty sure was the first Coachella festival cover story and oral history. We’ve dug out the entire article for your scrolling and pinch-zooming pleasure (below).
By 2007, URB Magazine had been a special guest on the legendary polo field— as fans, DJs, and promoters—since the festival’s birth in 1999. We even hosted some of the earliest secret after-parties, steps from the Sahara stage! But the notoriously protective team at Goldenvoice was not keen on allowing unfettered access so we could spill the festival tea in print. Only after some convincing trust falls was our writer Richard Thomas allowed time with the founders and an all-star lineup of artists and collaborators.
A quick note on unboxing the archive
Recreating our print magazine on Substack is a new experience. We’re sharing pages from our archive in their original form for today's post.
Scrolling through layouts on a phone may sometimes not be ideal. In future posts, we’ll experiment with other ways to present design, text, photos, and artwork, to see what works best.
We want to respect the original print work and creators. And at times, we may make small edits for length or clarity. If we get something wrong, please comment or email us at info@urb.com.
Over time, how we share the archive will evolve with your feedback, so let us know in the comments what you think.
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From the Archive: Our 2007 Oral History of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
by Richard Thomas • Cover photo by Danna Kinsky • Illustration by Nick Taylor
Click to enlarge the pages
P.S. Check out the 2020 Coachella documentary 20 Years in the Desert.