Ace Hotel

April 11th, 2013

Read it and weep. Third Man Records hangs a shingle for their all-vinyl pop-up shop in the Cleaners at Ace Hotel & Swim Club — the only record store in Palm Springs for the time being — during our annual music and arts festival Desert Gold, deep in the desert during Coachella-time. Jack White, this year’s official ambassador of Record Store Day on 4/20, dude — hosts along with Ben Swank and other Third Man women and men. They’ll run a karaoke ring with NPR Music and other labels and groups in the Amigo Room, and pull all other manner of great feats of musical prowess off during the following couple of weeks. Stay tuned on our Desert Gold site, and bring your LP bag.


Notes: (13) / Link / Share

April 7th, 2013

Later this month, Miss Lily’s of NYC joins us to celebrate traditional Jamaican street food at Desert Gold, our annual music and arts festival during Coachella at Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs. Miss Lily’s is a multi-faceted gem covering all the bases from a record shop to a radio station, juice stand, restaurant, DJs and events, with a strong activist sensibility. A portion of proceeds from Miss Lily’s goes to the Rockhouse Foundation, the brainchild of Miss Lily’s co-founder Paul Salmon, who also runs the Rockhouse Hotel in Jamaica. The foundation supports the building and maintenance of libraries and schools in Jamaica for school-age children. Watch and learn, and we’ll see you in a couple weeks.


Notes: (11) / Link / Share

April 5th, 2013

There once were two magicians who lived in a palace in the forest. Together, they worked all day and all night to make the world a more colorful and enchanting place. We knew them well and so we can say from personal experience that they were capable of manifesting the magic whether they were in their workshop, drunk on beer in the flatbed of a truck on the way to the mountains, or giving sage advice while preparing a home-cooked meal for 40 of their closest friends. Their names were — are — Fran and Nick, and the palace they live in is Seizure Palace, where they print all manner of abracadabra all the live long day. This week, they made our Desert Gold flyers and signage, inspired by Jamaica, Brooklyn, Palm Springs and your mom. Here are some live action shots captured by our very own Martie Flores who is also from a magical land that you can visit here. You can also see the full line-up for Desert Gold and get a room.

There once were two magicians who lived in a palace in the forest. Together, they worked all day and all night to make the world a more colorful and enchanting place. We knew them well and so we can say from personal experience that they were capable of manifesting the magic whether they were in their workshop, drunk on beer in the flatbed of a truck on the way to the mountains, or giving sage advice while preparing a home-cooked meal for 40 of their closest friends. Their names were — are — Fran and Nick, and the palace they live in is Seizure Palace, where they print all manner of abracadabra all the live long day. This week, they made our Desert Gold flyers and signage, inspired by Jamaica, Brooklyn, Palm Springs and your mom. Here are some live action shots captured by our very own Martie Flores who is also from a magical land that you can visit here.

You can also see the full line-up for Desert Gold and get a room.


Notes: (61) / Link / Share

March 30th, 2013

Obviously Pussy Riot sourced some of their inspiration from Devo. And who hasn’t? We get up each day and look in the mirror and say “Are we not men?” And when someone says, “No, you are not,” we say “Are we not Pussy Riot?”On that note, the very one and only Mark Mothersbaugh is designing some pool toys for us to use in the pool and wherever we like during Desert Gold. Just one facet of a big, complicated, cool thing we do once a year during Coachella, April 12-21. You can still nab some rooms, and see the full line-up.

Obviously Pussy Riot sourced some of their inspiration from Devo. And who hasn’t? We get up each day and look in the mirror and say “Are we not men?” And when someone says, “No, you are not,” we say “Are we not Pussy Riot?”

On that note, the very one and only Mark Mothersbaugh is designing some pool toys for us to use in the pool and wherever we like during Desert Gold. Just one facet of a big, complicated, cool thing we do once a year during Coachella, April 12-21. You can still nab some rooms, and see the full line-up.


Notes: (49) / Link / Share

March 21st, 2013

Flying Lotus rhythmically narrates a mediation on the ever-dissipating, ever-amalgamated self; the watercolors running through our veins; the tiny torture of having a bad case of the wants; the control of objects and obstacles; the unattainability of wholeness.

Not only does he do this, and very well, but he also plays at Desert Gold this year at Ace Hotel & Swim Club during Coachella — spinning at our party with Warp Records and with DJ Day at a special DG edition of ¡Reunión!. We still have a handful of rooms open, starting at one hundred and twenty nine tiny tortures. Book online and learn more about Desert Gold.


Notes: (11) / Link / Share

March 20th, 2013

DESERT GOLD 2013 : ACE PALM SPRINGS

Every year during the big show in the Coachella Valley we host our own desert tent revival beneath the sungods and the San Jacintos. We call it Desert Gold and this year marks our Wood Anniversary. And though it started as a wee li’l sapling it’s growing up fast — with live music and a Rolling Record Store presented by Third Man Records, performances by Flying Lotus, Jeremy Sole and Benji B, parties by the Do-Over crew, KCRW, Warp Records, Boiler Room, jerk goodness and ackee by Miss Lily’s, live on-site recordings by the certified buckwilders at NPR and much celebration of life. We’ll keep you posted, but seriously the AC in these rooms is as cool as the water in our deep, deep pools and they can’t wait around forever.


Notes: (25) / Link / Share

May 1st, 2012

Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer and Thom Yorke throwing down in the Commune at Ace Hotel & Swim Club for Desert Gold weekend deux. Instagram by Gaslamp Killer

Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer and Thom Yorke throwing down in the Commune at Ace Hotel & Swim Club for Desert Gold weekend deux.

Instagram by Gaslamp Killer


Notes: (78) / Link / Share

April 26th, 2012

Sunday night — the last evening of Desert Gold at Ace Palm Springs — we were host to a surprising and miraculous alignment of bright stars. Spector dazzled and shredded in King’s Highway under the stained glass eye of god, in preparation for Blood Orange’s musical, spiritual and leather-jacketed gymnastics. For the final four tunes, Florence Welch floated to the fore and sang like an angel with Mr. Orange, including a cover of Greenday’s Hitchin a Ride and Kiss With a Fist. Noisey filmed it all. We watched with amorous tears in our eyes. And our pal Julie from TOAST watched like the wizard she is. Thanks to her and to the big love crowd that bore witness. Photos by Iggy Gonzalez

Sunday night — the last evening of Desert Gold at Ace Palm Springs — we were host to a surprising and miraculous alignment of bright stars. Spector dazzled and shredded in King’s Highway under the stained glass eye of god, in preparation for Blood Orange’s musical, spiritual and leather-jacketed gymnastics. For the final four tunes, Florence Welch floated to the fore and sang like an angel with Mr. Orange, including a cover of Greenday’s Hitchin a Ride and Kiss With a Fist. Noisey filmed it all. We watched with amorous tears in our eyes. And our pal Julie from TOAST watched like the wizard she is. Thanks to her and to the big love crowd that bore witness.

Photos by Iggy Gonzalez


Notes: (21) / Link / Share

April 25th, 2012

Brad Elterman’s Ace x Impossible slides from Desert Gold 2012. We also had a little contest both weekends for a stay at Ace and some other gifts from yours truly — stay tuned for those shots from the field.

Brad Elterman’s Ace x Impossible slides from Desert Gold 2012. We also had a little contest both weekends for a stay at Ace and some other gifts from yours truly — stay tuned for those shots from the field.


Notes: (49) / Link / Share

April 20th, 2012

DESERT GOLD INTERVIEW : ALEX PASTERNAK OF LEMONADE

Alex Pasternak grew up in Half Moon Bay, California playing punk and hardcore and jazz bass. He studied ethnomusicology and anti-boasts a repertoire of rare magic from all four corners of the planet including Turkish Cifteteli, North African Rai, samba-reggae and Folklorico, and he mixes it all with two-step, grime, kuduro and cumbia digital. He lives in Brooklyn, plays drums with Lemonade, has reigned over the decks in the lobby at Ace Hotel New York, and will be gracing us poolside tomorrow at Desert Gold, with a 5-piece Balkan brass band. Dude makes it happen.

Read on for more background on his degree from the School of Hard Knocks and advanced certification in Variegated Horizons & Shifting Sands. And we’ll see you tomorrow — see the schedule and get a room.

What are some roadside attractions that have…attracted you?

I really loved having a picnic at Shoshone Falls a few years ago on tour with Delorean. If you’re ever passing through Idaho, it’s a great relaxing stop.

Also, Tammy’s Truro Tavern in the middle of fucking nowhere Iowa is amazing Americana.

If you could be any highway or US route which would you be?

Highway 1. Eeeeaaaaasy. Called the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway in So-cal) though Hwy 1 is me. I was raised on it, literally, between San Francisco and Santa Cruz at a little cove named Martins Beach and have driven that road all my life. From Mendo down through Big Sur to Santa Barbara, I love it.

Who is your ideal road trip mate, living or dead?

My best buddy Chris White. We’ve been taking road trips and surf trips together down the California coast since junior high. Headed to Mex with him this May to find some waves in Oaxaca and visit my sister in Mexico City.

Favorite song or band to listen to on a road trip? Do you have any songs you search the dials for? Be honest.

My classic California road trip album is Neil Young’s “On the Beach.” Makes the sunset especially bright when cruisin down Hwy 1 and somehow ties my dad’s generation and mine together.

Best unexpectedly amazing thing you’ve seen on a road trip.

One time I lost the keys to our rental Mercedes Sprinter in Vancouver and freaked out, not knowing what to do. The ONLY spare was in SF and there was no way to make one in time to make a show in Minneapolis. I somehow convinced my little sister Anna to pick up the key for me in the Mission District and drive to the airport with hopes of sneaking it onto a plane to Vancouver. Years ago I worked for SkyWest Airlines and still know a few folks there. I called the gate and found someone I knew though to my dismay she said she was too busy to run outside of security to grab the key…. Desperate, I told my sister to ask someone near the ticket counter for an extreme favor. Not sure how but she got the key (and electronic clicker) through security with some baggage dude and onto a plane to vancouver with the flight attendant. I took a taxi to the airport, grabbed the key, cabbed back and we were on our way. Phew.


Notes: (3) / Link / Share
Powered by Tumblr