One of the biggest concerts happening in the Coachella Valley in May will celebrate a local booking company’s 10-year anniversary.
Los Diez, happening Saturday, May 10, is an all-day music festival featuring both local and big-name bands, skate demos, art exhibits and more, taking place on the second level of the Macy’s parking structure at The Shops in Palm Desert. (Full disclosure: I will be hosting a live podcast at the festival.) It’s organized by local promoter Palma City Productions, which is celebrating 10 years of bringing entertainment to the Coachella Valley.
During a recent phone interview, Palma City founder/CEO Jonathan Becerra said his primary goal has not changed over the decade.
“The intention is always good shows,” Becerra said. “I know that sounds really basic as an answer, but 10 years ago, a lot of us were just trying to figure it out. You had Coachella, but you didn’t have all these extra parties … all these extra things to just go to, and nothing that really spoke to the community … When we started, a lot of it was amusing, like, ‘Couldn’t we do this show?’ or, ‘Wouldn’t be awesome to have this show here?’ A lot of it was just trying to find places to go to ourselves, things that we would really want to go to, and I think that was the best way to start. … Now you can kind of look around and be like, ‘All right, I generally know what the playbook is,’ and everyone in our community contributed to that. There is a vibe for a Coachella Valley desert show, but back then, we just had to trust our instinct.”
Becerra said he wanted to make sure his shows were all good, because his friends and acquaintances would always be there. Los Diez is no exception to this community dedication.
“There’s always been this core of people who’ve gone to Palma shows since the beginning, and I think they make sure we’re honest,” Becerra said. “That’s so lucky to have. … There are always issues with the shows, but I don’t think we’ve ever done a bad show, because we’ve held ourselves to such a high standard.”
Becerra said producing shows is a passion first, and a business second.
“We are a business; we’re not a charity, but we’re also not doing this for the money,” he said. “I think any smart producer who’s in this for the long run knows you’re not in this for the money, at least for the first 10 years. What you find yourself motivated by is either the love of the game, which is valid, or love of the music, or love of the community you’re serving, or a combination of the three.”
Booking shows involves working with egos, stressing about payments for artists and venues, and ensuring safety. Becerra said learning from stressful experiences is important.
“I’m not above being pissed, and I’m not above feeling petty, either,” he said. “I think the important thing about this business is you’ve got to be ready to feel those things, but feel through that moment, too. … At the end of the day, you have so much riding on this as a producer, at least when it comes to your heart and your soul. I feel like some people just get really mad, and they don’t know how to move past that.”
Becerra said local producers need to work together to make sure bigger producers from Los Angeles don’t dominate the local scene.
“I remember something a very prominent producer told me, and it’s always stuck with me, because it showed his mentality, and also his reality,” Becerra said. “This was for the Tamale Fest. He said, ‘I don’t have to hire locals here; I could hire this whole team from L.A.’ As an organizer, as a person from Indio, and as someone who loves this town, I’m like, OK, I’ve got to do what I can to also facilitate our local people having a seat at this table.’”
Los Diez was originally going to be an event simply honoring Palma City’s past.
“I remember something a very prominent producer told me. … ‘I don’t have to hire locals here; I could hire this whole team from L.A.’ As an organizer, as a person from Indio, and as someone who loves this town, I’m like, OK, I’ve got to do what I can to also facilitate our local people having a seat at this table.’”
Palma City Productions founder/CEO Jonathan Becerra
“It was just going to be 10 bands who have played our shows the past 10 years,” Becerra said. “There were headliners I knew I already wanted, just because of how special they were to some of the moments in Palma City, and it was just going to be food and maybe a DJ. I really give a lot of credit to who is now our creative director, Damien Lopez. He reignited a spark in me, and it’s so weird, because I just met this kid less than a year ago.”
Lopez helped Becerra realize that Los Diez should celebrate more than just Palma City; it should celebrate the valley as a whole.
“Having him on board really pushed me to make it about culture here, and a reflection of Coachella Valley culture, specifically,” Becerra said. “That’s why we added skate demos, and communal art, where people are going to be able to tag with markers, because street art is part of it. Damien’s doing this curation of local and out-of-town artists, but they all have this really similar vibe of what art is here in the Coachella Valley. It became a homage and a love letter to the Coachella Valley culture scene, and I think we doubled down by giving every section a captain.”
Becerra took charge of the music, booking bigger names like Beach Bums and Vinyl Williams, along with locals like Garb and Giselle Woo and the Night Owls.
“I curated this little lineup, which is people we worked with in the past, and Beach Bums and Vinyl Williams are the direction we want to go with this company,” Becerra said. “Not to quote Chappell Roan, but they’re ‘your favorite artists’ favorite artists.’ … I think everyone who’s seen our lineup—who has either produced shows, or played shows, or is a very big show-goer—they’re like, ‘Holy fuck, how’d you get Vinyl Williams?’ It’s really a testament to what we’ve done the last 10 years. We want to impress artists and musicians and producers, because that’s who our friends are. Those are our people.”
Becerra said he has no plans to stop producing shows anytime soon—but even if he did, the Coachella Valley is in good hands.
“I really do see such a bright future beyond Palma,” he said. “Everyone is doing their thing, but doing it in a way that just feels so much more positive and inclusive and for the community. I see people really killing themselves for these shows, and it’s a beautiful reminder that I’m not alone in how I feel about these shows. … I’m really proud to be still here with Palma. I think we’re doing good work, and I think we’re doing it for the right reasons. I really hope people see that, truly.”
Los Diez will take place from 1 to 10 p.m., Saturday, May 10, on the second level of the Macy’s parking structure at The Shops at Palm Desert, at 72840 Highway 111. Tickets are $25, available on Eventbrite. Learn more at instagram.com/palmacityproductions.
