Few annual events in the Coachella Valley have been successful and meaningful enough to continue for nearly two decades—but thanks to the work of local musician Josh Heinz, the Concert for Autism is returning for year No. 17.
Numerous local musicians will be donating their time and talent to raise funds for the Desert Autism Foundation across four events and venues. On Friday, Sept. 27, the kickoff event will occur at the Big Rock Pub; Sunday, Oct. 6, is the Acoustic Afternoon for Autism at Coachella Valley Brewing Co.; Friday, Oct. 11, is the lead-up event at The Hood Bar and Pizza; and Saturday, Oct. 19, is the main event at the Tack Room Tavern.
Nearly 30 bands (including my bands Empty Seat and Salton City Surf Club) will perform this year. Headlining the main event is The Pedestrians, a local band formed in 1993, performing their first show in nine years.
“I was in Memphis back when The Pedestrians first started,” Heinz said during a recent phone interview. “Once I moved here and I got into the music scene, and especially when I met Armando Flores (also of Blasting Echo), I started to go see him play with The Pedestrians, where I was just like, ‘This band is awesome.’ It’s just a great mix of fun and funk. … The great thing about The Pedestrians is they have a slew of original songs that make people dance and have a good time. It’s not a cover act; it’s all original material, and it’s unique.”
Lead singer Mike Lewis moved to Oregon nine years ago, starting the hiatus. After a move back to the Coachella Valley by Lewis, and some begging from Heinz, the band is reuniting. Heinz said he has received many messages from friends who intend to return to their youthful ways for this year’s main event.
“People who used to stay up until 1 in the morning, now they’re going to bed by, like, 9:30,” said Heinz. “I’ve had a lot of those people saying, ‘Oh, we can’t wait for this; we’ll stay up for this.’ I think it’ll be great for the younger people who never got to see The Pedestrians, to see what they do, and feel their energy and feel the vibe again. I’m a rock ’n’ roll guy, and that’s what I listen to most of the time. Their music breaks down barriers in the sense that their crowds will have every type of person you can imagine. They just have a very broad, fun appeal.”
This year’s Concert for Autism lineup mixes event mainstays with newer bands in an effort to introduce the long-running benefit to younger music fans.
“I want to honor the people who have supported me for years, and I feel like there’s a place for both the older generation and the newer generation,” Heinz said.
“People who used to stay up until 1 in the morning, now they’re going to bed by, like, 9:30. I’ve had a lot of those people saying, ‘Oh, we can’t wait for this; we’ll stay up for this.’”
Josh Heinz, on the reunion of The Pedestrians
He listed a few highlights.
“I’m excited about Tourists,” he said. “I listened to their new record, and I think it sounds great, and they seem like super-nice guys. Jetta King, she’s been in the scene for a while, but she’s still on the younger side of things, and she’s fantastic. She’s played quite a few times on the acoustic stage, and she would always say, ‘If I get a full band, can I play the main stage?’ I was like, ‘Heck yes.’ We have The Holy Corrupt and Destroy Nothing at the Hood event, and they’re great. I love Miguel Arballo and what he does. With the acoustic stuff, I just met Lorna Louisa Adams, the young girl who plays ukulele, and I saw her at CV Brewing on one of the Sunday Acoustic Afternoons. I think she’s really good.”
Heinz is making one exception to the event’s locals-only lineup: At the main event, 2023 American Idol contestant Adin Boyer will perform.
“He got to go to L.A. but he didn’t make it to the finals, and he’s on the autism spectrum, and he was very vocal about it,” Heinz said. “There are some great clips from him being on the show, with Lionel Richie praising his songwriting and stuff. They had some pieces on the show about him and his journey as a musician with autism, and they had interviews with him and his mom. … This was just too good of a story to pass up. I think he’s talented, and I want to highlight him, being a musician on the autism spectrum.”
Every year, Heinz’s wife, Linda Lemke Heinz, has a few of her music students who are on the spectrum perform.
“That’s always something really special,” Heinz said. “She’s picked up a couple more students this year, and the students are excited about doing some songs. We’ll have about 20 minutes where she has two or three (students) get up and each do a song. As much as it’s about the local music community, it’s also about trying to do something good for the autism community. It’s always a very moving moment.
Every person involved in the event is donating their time, from the musicians to the crew.
“Our head sound guys, Jeff Mazer and Greg Little, they’ve been doing sound since we did the seventh and eighth one, all the way back at Schmidy’s Tavern,” Heinz said. “If I had to pay for professional sound people to do that main event, I’m sure it would cost me over $2,000. They donate their time, and they donate their gear, so it’s an amazing thing that they do, and that they’ve done it for so long. We’re at the site at 8 in the morning, and we don’t leave until 2 in the morning the next day. It’s a lot to ask, and I’m so grateful for everybody who volunteers and helps out.”
Heinz wanted to give a special shoutout to the event’s main sponsor, Variety Children’s Charity of the Desert.
“They do a ton of great charitable work in different types of programs all throughout the valley, and they wanted to be the presenting sponsor this year,” he said. “They wanted to throw their weight behind the event and really help families and kids on the autism spectrum by being our presenting sponsor. We’re very grateful for that.”
Since mid-2023, Josh Heinz and Visit Greater Palm Springs have been working to make the Coachella Valley a Certified Autism Destination.
“We’re trying to push that initiative to get businesses and organizations to get training and certification through a teaching and credentialing firm called IBCCES, which is the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards,” he said. When enough businesses get certified, the valley will become a Certified Autism Destination.
“It’s a tool we can use to market the whole Coachella Valley as a safe place for people to come if you have someone on the spectrum,” Heinz said. “We have options, things to do and places to go where people have more understanding and more empathy about autism, and how to better serve those on the spectrum and their families and give them good experiences. The Desert Autism Foundation is what we raise all this money for, and we are setting aside some funds to help businesses do the certification, because it obviously costs some money to take the training and get the certification.”
The Concert for Autism’s kickoff event will take place at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 27, at the Big Rock Pub, 79940 Westward Ho Drive, in Indio. The Acoustic Afternoon for Autism will take place at 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6, at Coachella Valley Brewing Co., 30640 Gunther St., in Thousand Palms. The lead-up event will take place at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 11, at The Hood Bar and Pizza, 74360 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. The main event will take place at 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 19, at The Tack Room Tavern, 81800 Avenue 51, in Indio. A donation is requested at the events. For more information, visit concertforautism.com.
