Live In the Cemetery
WAS A COMPLETE SUCCESS!!!!!
JOIN US AGAIN NEXT YEAR
There Will Be BEER!
The 7th Annual Morongo Basin Memorial Day Observance at Joshua Tree Memorial Park
Ignites Live Music Festival!
Event time: Monday, May 26, 2008, 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Event Location: Joshua Tree Memorial Park, 60121 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree, CA
92252
Unfortunately Mighty
Jack had to cancel at
the last minute. They
have been replaced
with Joe Kidd & The
Gash. Sorry Jack
fans! We'll get em'
back next year.
been playing host to a unique event that has been growing more and more
popular every year. Joshua Tree Memorial Park, formally known as
Mountain Valley Memorial Park, located in the eclectic and scenic village of
Joshua Tree, has been hosting an annual Memorial Day Observance and
Community BBQ on the cemetery grounds. The event commemorates
Memorial Day by paying homage to our United States military in efforts to
acknowledge their dedication, bravery and sacrifice during their service to
our country. In the past, the hour long observance featured guest speakers,
USMC Color Guard, placing of the wreaths ceremony, white dove release,
advancing and retiring of the colors, invocations and free food and beverages
to follow.
Since 2004, Singer/Songwriter/Performer Shawn Mafia and his backing
ensemble The Ten Cent Thrills, have been performing live music for all
those that attended the free community barbeque which followed the
observance ceremony. Through the years people not only stuck around for
the performance after the Memorial Day Observance, but started to come
out exclusively for the musical part of the event itself! Drawn by the green
grass and scenic setting of Joshua Tree Memorial Park (which is a perfect
backdrop for any outdoor musical event) and perhaps by the “unusual” or
“surreal” setting that listening to live music in a cemetery could evoke, it
was only a matter of time before the cemetery owners would decide to take a
chance on expanding the day into a bona fide music festival.
Newly crowned as the Mafia Memorial Day Music Festival, this year will
feature a diverse line up of musical acts. Local rock noir icons Shawn Mafia
& The Ten Cent Thrills will make their annual appearance and will be
celebrating the release of their second full length compact disc entitled
'Death In ‘D’ Major'. Others that will be featured for the first time on the
cemetery lawn include blues harp legend John “Juke” Logan, Coachella
Valley's only surf rock/lounge/punk band Mighty Jack and Anaheim based
indie singer/songwriter Ray De La Muerte.
Joshua Tree Memorial park will kick off their usual Memorial Day
Observance festivities Monday, May 26th, at 11:00 a.m. The live music
festival will immediately follow at 12:00 p.m. and will continue on until 4:00
p.m. Event admission and parking is free. From 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. the
cemetery will provide a community barbeque. Specified food and beverages
will be free to all that attend during that time. Alternate vendors for food
and beverage purchases, as well as a beer garden, will be available for the
rest of the scheduled event time. Joshua Tree Memorial Park will also be
raffling off prizes through out the course of the event; Raffle tickets
available for purchase the day of the event only. A special booth will be set
up to purchase all scheduled performers music and memorabilia!
