Coachella 2023: You won't believe who I ran into
As I was walking from an awesome performance at the Gobi stage back to the press area during Weekend 1 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, I happened to look up at one of the Outdooor Theatre's gigantic video monitors to see a bushy-haired, bearded saxophonist nailing a solo with the reggae band Rebelution.
His face was all too familiar.
No way, I thought. Could it really be ... my old summer camp counselor Eric? Here? Jamming at one of the world's preeminent music festivals?
We hadn't caught up in years, but I could never forget Eric. Even at summer camp, he was always playing his sax. He was a successful musician then, so it wasn't a shock to me to find out he was now playing Coachella!
But still I wasn't certain... I mean, what are the odds?
I looked him up on Instagram and found out, sure enough, he has been a touring musician with Rebelution since 2016.
I wanted to tell him how much I enjoyed the band's Weekend 1 set and also find out if Eric wanted to share more with the Desert Sun about what it's like to be an up-and-coming performer at Coachella.
So, we caught up to chat about a notable moment in his career and the band's chance to put reggae music on the map in the California desert.
He and Rebelution were set to be back at the Outdoor Theatre at 2:55 p.m. Saturday for Weekend 2 before they kick off their Good Vibes Summer Tour 2023 next month in Monterey.
Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Desert Sun: So ... it's been a while! Catch me up and introduce yourself to those who haven't heard your music before.
Hirschhorn: I’m a 29-year-old multi-instrumentalist born and raised in Long Beach. I've been writing and performing music for most of my life. I play saxophone and keyboards for Rebelution as well as many other groups including my own solo stuff.
I started touring when I was 15, I put out my first jazz solo album in 2016 and I've had the honor of recording on many records of people I feel very lucky to call my friends and acquaintances.
Being a musician of Jewish and Mexican descent makes me feel a sense of history and connection to the ancestors who laid the ground for us to be able to walk on it. My biggest influences would have to be Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band, Joni Mitchell, D’Angelo, Elton John, Keith Jarrett and many, many more. I pride myself on being able to “wear many hats” in whatever situation calls for it.
What was it like performing at the Outdoor Theatre of Coachella? What sort of emotions were you feeling?
To be honest it was kind of hectic getting to stage. Of course, it’s extremely warm out there. Luckily, we had a breeze rolling through stage, which felt great while we were getting all of the gear right and making sure the set was ready to go. This is always a big stressor for the crew and us since you can always do as much as you can and then, all of a sudden, an outlier occurs and you’re scrambling to figure it out.
This kind of stuff can get your mind and nerves (going) pretty quickly.
I approach performing as a whole in this regard. It’s more than just what you’re playing on stage — though that is a big portion. There’s a crowd, there’s a soundboard, there’s security staff, there’s a venue. Everything has its value, and when you add all of the elements of a show together, it’s a big circular atmospheric biome.
We give to the crowd who gives to the venue and staff and us. It’s bigger than yourself. I’ve gotten to a point where I care more about the show as a whole more than anything else.
Where would you rank playing Coachella in terms of your musical career?
Career wise, hell yeah, I’d rank it high ... but with some caveats.
Yes, this is a MASSIVE festival where reggae music, specifically California Reggae music, hasn’t been represented in. That matters to me.
It’s an honor to play at Coachella after seeing everyone go to this festival for so many years. But I would also say that there’s a joy to playing intimate venues where everyone is connected. Those places, like the Wiltern in LA, share a special place in my heart.
We just did an acoustic tour with our lead singer Eric Rachmany, and the connection to the crowd and musicianship (at smaller venues) almost topped any of the big shows we played. Playing those smaller rooms with the tightest, intimate connections means more than any Red Rocks show in my book. Yes, those venues and Coachella are epic, but what’s really epic to me is, 'Can you make that same impact that you can with 20,000 people for 200 people at a smaller venue?'
Playing for a festival audience, many people might not know your music. What impression do you want to make on them?
I love this question. Playing in Rebelution and many other reggae bands for that matter we’re used to really being niched into our own scene and festivals.
It’s rare, but sometimes we get to play an Outside Lands or a Bonnaroo or a Lollapallooza (or a Coachella) and so on.
It’s an incredible opportunity for us to share a whole different side of the music world.
Reggae music is about feeling; it’s about sitting in the moment. Yes, Rebelution isn’t the reggae roots pinnacle — a lot of us can agree with that. What it is, though, is an entire interpretation on what reggae can inspire and bring out of people.
There are so many elements to reggae and so many subgenres. You might hear Pink Floyd in our sound, Red Hot Chili Peppers, maybe even Bay Area hip-hop. That’s because Rebelution is a group of people who have immersed themselves in many styles.
I’m a firm believer that when you step onstage and go to work, your great ancestors appear with you allowing you to do what you can in this moment with their guidance. Standing on the shoulders of giants, right?
The main impression I want people to leave with is that without acknowledging the ones who have allowed us this moment — be they present, past, or future, then where do we stand?
For us, reggae music came from the Jamaican greats: Abyssinians, The Congos, Aswad ... There are literally millions of roots legends I could name.
For myself, it’s the jazz musicians who carved a world in dedicated art. It’s the Aztec, Mayan, Yaqui, and other tribes who coexisted and lived through colonization and survived today. It’s the Austrio-Hungarian relatives I had that survived winters to end up here in the States and suffered discrimination along with Italians and Irish in New York. It’s a lot of things for a lot of people. I’d want to leave people asking that question for themselves and bringing that to their everyday lives. Also, just give real original roots reggae a shot. That’s all, haha.
Is there anything special you can share with us about your Coachella "behind the scenes" experience as a performer?
I’m going to be 100% real with you — it isn’t glamorous. Like, at all, man.
Backstage is cool but it’s kind of cramped where we all are. And with a band of seven guys plus crew and some friends, it’s majorly cramped in our little trailer, haha.
Backstage is a cramped area with couches where you sit and do nothing. It’s a safe space that has water so you don’t die, and a place that you can just sit without having to be bombarded.
Yes, it’s nice to be able to have your hospitality items there, but there’s a lot of bands and most acts don’t show up until or around their set time. I got to meet Kamasi Washington and 9th Wonder shortly, which was a necessary thing for me. They were both incredibly kind people, and for them to be my idols just makes that experience all the better. I also had a short conversation with Marc Rebillet, who is insanely talented and has the coolest story of all time. Dude is super chill and we talked about decompressing and making the most of the time we had.
Other than that: the catering is great, the stages are a little far but not too bad of a walk. Overall a positive experience and nothing too crazy.
Backstage really isn’t as wild as people make it out to be. People think it’s just naked people pouring tequila on each other when it’s really just like eight dudes full on napping on a couch outside their green room and trying to relax before having to give it all on stage.
It’s also your safe bathroom space, which is CRUCIAL at festivals. Normalize clean bathrooms with A/C and wet wipes at festivals. Just, please. Do it.
Jonathan Horwitz is a staff writer for The Desert Sun. Reach him at jonathan.horwitz@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella 2023: You won't believe who I ran into
