Joe Russo’s Almost Dead

BeachLife Festival hits the sand in May for third edition with Weezer, 311, The Smashing Pumpkins, Steve Miller Band & more performing

BeachLife Festival //
Seaside Lagoon – Redondo Beach, CA
May 13th-15th, 2022 //

The weather outside might be a little chilly right now, but you know what that means? We’re only a few months away from festival season!

Here in California, there has already been plenty of lineup announcements over the past six weeks with Smokin Grooves, This Ain’t No Picnic, Primavera Sound LA, CRSSD and BottleRock all putting out their individual rosters dating from early March to late August. Now, it’s BeachLife Festival’s turn.

The three-day event moved to September in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s back to its normal month of May this year with plenty to get excited about. Leading the fest’s third installment will be Weezer and 311 as co-headliners on Friday while The Smashing Pumpkins and Steve Miller Band will have their own days — Saturday and Sunday, respectively — to shine even after the sun dips into the Pacific Ocean.

BeachLife Festival May 13-15, 2022. Here we go! #WeLiveTheBeachLife #RedondoBeach #MusicFestival @Weezer @SmashingPumpkin @SMBofficial @SherylCrow @311 @vancejoy +more! tix here: https://t.co/1vES7FNs0h pic.twitter.com/hoTSbZ9wZl

— BeachLifeFestival (@BeachLifeFest) January 10, 2022

If all or some of those names hitting the stage at Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach don’t exactly wow you though, don’t stop reading just yet.

BeachLife, which leans heavily in the direction of rock ‘n’ roll and reggae but also incorporates jam, funk and punk acts, has plenty of other talent booked for 2022. Black Pumas, Vance Joy, Sheryl Crow, Stone Temple Pilots and Lord Huron anchor an impressive undercard, but they aren’t the only ones deserving of being mentioned with Cold War Kids, Capital Cities, UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Milky Chance, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Cannons, Matisyahu, The Allman Betts Band (made up of Devon Allman, Duane Betts and Berry Duane Oakley), Atlas Genius, Sugar Ray, Ozomatli and more on the bill. Check out the poster above for the rest of the scheduled artists and bands.

Want to buy tickets? They’re already on sale here! Three-day GA and GA+ passes can be purchased for $419 or $449, and VIP is available for $899 as well as single-day tickets for $159 (GA), $189 (GA+) and $349 (VIP). And if you’re really looking to throw down some cash, there’s always the three-day Captain’s pass for $2,999 or $1,250 (single-day) so don’t miss the boat on securing your admission to a weekend of live music on the beach before it’s too late.

By Benjamin Wallen //

High Sierra Music Festival //
Quincy, CA
June 30th-July 3rd, 2015 //

High Sierra is an intimate music festival nestled in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains. Held every year around the Fourth of July in Quincy, Calif., people come from all over to get down in the sun and have some fun.

Celebrating the festival’s 25th year brought the return of jam-band giants The String Cheese Incident and Umphrey’s McGee, both of which are no strangers to High Sierra. Tearing the roof off of festivals and causing the earth to shake from fans dancing is what String Cheese and Umphrey’s do best, after all.

The String Cheese Incident

San Francisco locals The Sam Chase & The Untraditional were another highlight at the festival. The Wood Brothers, meanwhile, brought their special sound to Quincy and had lots of new fans talking about them afterward. The Word, a mash-up of amazing musical talents from John Medeski to Robert Randolph, impressed by surprisingly only playing instrumental gospel tunes.

Pennsylvania bluegrass band Cabinet also left a heavy mark at High Sierra, as did T Sisters, who seemed to be everywhere. Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO), Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers, The Brothers Comatose, Steve Poltz and Surprise Me Mr. Davis shared the stage for a memorable, mid-day set of California-inspired tunes in the indoor, air-conditioned music hall. On the final day of High Sierra, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead closed things out on the main stage with two full, vibrant sets.

On the whole, this year’s festival was very well-handled and maintained. High Sierra is a special event, made special by all of those who make it what it is. The festival never feels too crowded or overpopulated — it’s just right between the music, the people and the area amid everything else. It’s exactly what many want in a festival and so much more.