Neon Desert

Organizers of Neon Desert Music Festival wanted build suspense by splitting up the announcement of artists that would be performing at this year's festival May 26 in Downtown El Paso. Despite negative feedback, Zach Paul, one of three executive producers at Splendid Sun Productions said that the creators expect a positive turn out.

"When someone has something bad to say about a band we are bringing or a way we are doing things, I see that as demand. They are upset with it and unhappy, but deep down, they want something different," Paul said. "What that tells me is that there is a demand for something new in El Paso. Many times, those people who have an opinion will really go out of their way to tell you what they think."

Matthew Montana, senior computer science major, said that the way the group is handling announcing bands is a bit unsettling.

"I think the way in which they are announcing the line up is ridiculous," Montana said. "It's only a one day festival and they don't have credentials such as bigger festivals. I believe that by doing this they are only delaying ticket sales."

The production group began announcing its line up Feb. 16 by announcing phase one, which exposed the identities of 19 bands that will be performing May 26. According to Paul, phase two will be announced in early March and feature another set of acts that will be performing the same day.

The organizers did the same thing last year when they opened their doors for business for the first time and offered a large musical experience to the city of El Paso. On April 30, the festival brought in about 11,000 fans, according to ticket sale averages, and by incorporating a four-stage system, the organizers brought 29 acts under the Sun City sky.

"There is no reason for us not to have something like this," Paul said. "We book a lot of shows and we see a lot of bands who want to come into the city and play, and we are trying really hard to be able to bring these people here."

So far, the festival main headliners for phase one consists of a DJ set by Moby, Sparta, Ghostland Observatory and Belanova with performances by Mexicans with Guns, Sound On Sound, Yacht and many others.

"We are focusing on growing slowly and bringing something new to the city," Paul said. "For now we are always going to focus on electronic, Latin, rock and indie rock music. As time progresses, hopefully we can incorporate more genres, but at the moment these genres are very important to El Paso."

The first year, the production company did a survey in order to identify what El Pasoans wanted to see in a festival. Paul said they received 1,000 replies that showed that those genres were what the community wanted to hear.

Despite last year's success, the group received criticism on their Facebook page this year due to what many called a "lack of diversity in the music."

The Neon Desert launch party took place Feb. 16 at Lowbrow Palace, and many people attended in order to show support for the festival.

"The place was packed and at some points throughout the night there was a line to get in," Paul said. "The people of El Paso don't get nearly as much credit as they deserve for being passionate music fans. The launch party (Feb. 16) showed that they love music, and we are so appreciative of that."

Ana Martinez, junior sociology major, was excited about the launch party and enthusiastic about the release of the names of bands that would be performing. She said the mystery behind phase two also added to the excitement.

"Some people are dancing, some people are toned down, it's pretty cool," Martinez said. "It's getting hyped up. The bands are amazing that are here and are coming. I really like it a lot."

Martinez enjoys the opportunities this kind of event brings to the city as a whole and feels it will help broaden people's experiences.

"It's really cool to see creative art and live music in El Paso. I think it's great," Martinez said. "It's something for people to come and join in and discover a bit about different cultures and different sides of El Paso."

The cost for tickets range from $55 for a standard pass to $150 for a VIP pass, which offers a catered meal by The Magic Pan, fresh fruits and treats from Edible Arrangements (two of the sponsors), re-entry and other opportunities.

"I think if we sat here and said that we wanted to be like Coachella or South by Southwest, we'd be setting ourselves up for failure," Paul said. "There is nothing wrong with shooting for the stars, but we are better off taking this little by little. Do we want to be a big festival? Yes, we do, but we're three friends who all still have day jobs and work on this during the weekends and we don't have any money or big investors. We just want to continue to try to bring bigger bands and bring enjoyment to the city."

Krystal Oblinger may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.