It was a cool but sunny fall day for the first day of Beachlife Ranch, the Beachlife Festival’s rustic, country-leaning sister festival. Taking place at the Redondo Beach pier, the festival shared the basic same set-up as Beachlife, with some small changes. One side-stage became a line-dancing dance hall, different sponsors took up different areas (King’s Hawaiian bread offered free sliders, and there was a whole booth dedicated to selling cowboy hats).
And while I enjoyed Skecher’s latest original foamies shoe being given away, and the free Grillos Pickles booth, I was at the festival for the music, and the day provided a number of highlight moments.
A disclaimer: I’m not a big country music fan. Thankfully Friday’s line-up was more heavily in the folk/Americana/singer-songwriter camp, with only a few true country acts holding court on the side stages or earlier set times. Opening the day was Goodnight, Texas, a folk rock group who hooked me from the start with their pattery song “A Bank Robber’s Nursery Rhyme”. Boasting two frontmen (one who went to my high school in Manhattan Beach!), the band’s music delved into bluegrass, rock and country with a great emphasis on narrative-driven songwriting. There was a haunting power to songs like “I’m Going to Work on Maggie’s Farm Forever” and the doomed-love story of “Jesse Got Trapped in a Coal Mine”. Needless to say, I queued up their music for my ride home.
Pillbox Patti was another artist I was unfamiliar with, but who quickly made a statement as she hit the stage in her pink, puffy hat and small-town southern drawl. While her songs were far more country than my tastes generally lie, she also showed off some pop savvy with songs like “Young and Stupid” and “Eat Pray Drugs”. From here, I moved over to the tiny Speakeasy stage, catching the last few songs of Dave Daniels‘ set. Following a cover of Robyn‘s “Dancing On My Own”, Daniels played a couple of originals, both of which I liked (though sadly I can’t remember the name of my favorite one). The singer-songwriter displayed a winning stage presence and self-effacing banter.
After helping to headline the Beachlife Festival back in May with Sublime, Rome Ramirez came back with Dirty Heads‘ Duddy to bring their Rome & Duddy is side-project to the Ranch. In their own words, melding their love of Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley, their originals added a dash of folk and country to the reggae/roots/rock singers’ songwriting style. While there still was plenty of weed-loving music (“Cannabis Tree”) and escapist tunes (the slightly-dark “Soft Water Landing”), the duo’s songs still stood apart from their respective group’s music. They paid tribute to Willie Nelson with a cover of “Roll Me Up”, and got the audience singing along with covers of “Bad Fish”, “What I Got”, and Dirty Heads‘ break-out hit (with Rome) “Lay Me Down”.
Back in June, I interviewed Donavon Frankenreiter about his new EP with Devon Allman, and the duo’s upcoming tour which sought to break a new world record by playing fifty shows in fifty states in forty-nine days. Their performance at Beachlife marked the final date of this ambitious tour, and their set was a celebration of this incredible accomplishment. Playing a mix of tracks from their Rollers EP (“See it All”, “Where Ya Gonna Run To?”) as well as their own songs, the duo jammed through the afternoon, and turned it into a family affair, with Donavon’s song Hendrix joining him on vocals and guitar for one track, and the rest of the band’s families coming out to sing along on stage. The duo were presented with special plaques to commemorate breaking the record, and two custom Gibson guitars. It was awesome being there to witness the end of their journey after having discussed its beginnings with Donavon months before. Huge congrats to all of them!
I took a short break after this epic performance, but caught the tail-end of Bahamas‘ set. The breezy songs and celestial guitar playing were perfect fits for the sandy stage. I held my ground there for the next hour, awaiting the Avett Brothers. While I haven’t kept up with as much of their new music, I have been a fan of their earlier albums for years, and have only heard great things about their live sets.
Despite clearly being an Americana band, with banjo, cello, fiddle, and the works, the energy the Avett Bros bring to the stage is on par with a punk rock band. Tracks like “Kick Drum Heart” were hyper-kinetic, clap-along bangers, and everything from their extended jams to their cover of Harry Belafonte‘s “Jump In the Line” felt like part of the wild ride. The quieter moments were equally effective, with “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” taking the breath from the audience. There was an aura of unpredictability from the group, making their every move and decision feel exciting.
And then it came time for the headliner; Jack Johnson. I remembered my freshman year of college at UCSB (where Johnson also graduated from the film program), being in line for what I thought was free movie tickets, but I was soon told it was for an up-and-coming artist named Jack Johnson. Not knowing who that was, I went and found the right line. I regret this decision a lot. Johnson blew up shortly after that and became one of the school’s most famous alumni. This was the first time I was going to see him live.
After opening with the nostalgic “Do You Remember”, Johnson showed why he’s become such a live force over the years; spontaneous covers, guests a-plenty, and a grand family vibe to the show. A short bit of Tina Turner‘s “What’s Love Got to Do With It” led into “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing”. Classics like “Flake” and “Upside Down” were joyous crowd sing-alongs, with pianist/melodian player Zach Gill often stealing the show with his chops. Jack reminisced about his times at UCSB, having been drinking with old college buddies backstage, leading into “Bubble Toes” and “Costume Party”.
Johnson brought out Bahamas‘ Afie Jurvanen for a wonderful performance of “Breakdown”, and then went into Wreckless Eric‘s “Whole Wide World”. As Afie left, Johnson told a story about his father, who set sail to Hawaii from the Redondo Beach harbor years ago, and then dedicated “I Got You” to his parents. Donavon Frankenreiter then joined Johnson for his song “Headed Home”, and stuck around for Johnson’s “Mudfootball”. And in case anyone is wondering if Johnson’s music is connecting to younger generations, I witnessed a crew of young college/high school-aged kids ecstatically singing along to “Banana Pancakes” and “Good People”, which Johnson played next.
Another touching moment in the set was when Johnson brought out his father’s best friend, the man who taught him to play guitar, for a cover of Jimmy Buffett‘s “A Pirate Looks at Forty”. Buffett was certainly on the mind of many at the fest, with at least one parrot-head making an appearance in the audience. Willie Nelson was also on folks’ minds, and Johnson then told the story that inspired his single “Willie Got Me Stoned and Stole All My Money”, before playing that humorous jam.
For the grand finale, Johnson brought out The Avett Brothers, launching into a cover of MGMT‘s “Kids“, which soon transformed into a communal cover of “I Shall Be Released” (RIP Robbie Robertson). As if there weren’t enough good vibes, Johnson asked everyone who had already joined him on stage to come back out for a big old sing along of “Better Together”. If you left the field that night not feeling good about life, then I’m not sure what’s wrong with you. Jack Johnson is pure feel-good music and then man himself embodies the ethos and vibes of the Beachlife Festival, Ranch or otherwise.
And being a Hawaii resident, Johnson has been actively working to help Maui’s recovery, having recently released this benefit album. Give it a listen today! And follow us on socials (@TheIndyReview) to see more clips and performances from the fest!
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