Squeezeboxes & Sunsets: Joshua Tree’s First Accordion Festival

Joshua Tree’s vibrant arts scene reached a new crescendo this spring with the inaugural Joshua Tree Accordion Festival—a jubilant celebration of music, community, and desert creativity. This was the brainchild of artist, filmmaker, and lifelong music lover, Joe Alvarez, who saw a 20-year dream come gloriously to life at the iconic Art Queen. A whimsical, joy-filled celebration of culture, creativity, and community, the event drew locals and visitors alike into its vibrant orbit with 15 live acts, tacos, art, and, of course, squeezeboxes galore.

It all started decades ago, in a backyard fandango in West Los Angeles where Alvarez fell under the spell of the marathon Son Jarocho jamouts featuring bands like Vera Cruise. But it was the electrifying presence of La Santa Cecilia that struck a chord deep within him. “I got accordion fever,” Alvarez recalls. “The imagery was just so pleasing to my eyes and burned imagery into my mind.” That spark turned into a fire at the 2008 Eagle Rock Accordion Festival, and his fascination with the instrument never left him.

Over the years, he and wife Erin followed favorite acts like Count Smokula and Vagabond Opera up and down California. The love seeped into his artwork, showing up in playful, surreal depictions of accordion players—soldiers, mice, mermaids and all.

After relocating to Joshua Tree nearly eight years ago, Alvarez first tested the waters by bringing Tumbleweed Time Machine, led by accordionist Skyler Fell, to his 2019 Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours exhibition. The music-art mashup was a hit, but the idea of a full-fledged festival remained just that—a dream—until now.

“A few months ago, the vendors at Art Queen asked what kind of event I’d want to host,” Alvarez says. “The first thing out of my mouth was, ‘An Accordion Festival!’”

From that moment on, everything seemed to fall into place. His first call was to Joshua Tree’s beloved songbird and accordionist Jennifer Palmer Lacey, a staple of local open mics. She surprised Alvarez with the news that her husband was none other than Doug Legacy, front man of Doug Legacy and the Mystic Hurricane. From there, the lineup unfolded like a well-pulled bellows with some help from Skyler Fell. The audience enjoyed Carlos Avalon, Jeff Hafler, Bryan Moss, The Mud Bugs, Really Shoo, and Westover Hobbs, with Steve Jones spinning vintage vinyl between sets.

A free accordion lesson by Skyler Fell (also the co-MC for the event) kicked things off at 3:30, prior to and the day ended with an accordion raffle and a whole lot of desert-hued joy. Tacos were devoured, strangers danced and became friends, and the sun set on a new Joshua Tree tradition.

The event was purely passion-driven—no big sponsors, no glitzy headliners, just a group of people who deeply love the quirky, soulful sound of the accordion. Alvarez even created the official flyer himself, inspired by his painting Ballad of the Mermaid, which features a soldier and a mouse both serenading a mermaid with accordions.

Sponsored by:
• The Accordion Apocalypse Repair Shop, Skyler Fell, Joshua Tree’s go-to for accordion magic
• Alvarez Studio, Joe Alvarez’s personal artistic playground
• Art Queen, the heartbeat of Joshua Tree’s creative community

The festival proved what Alvarez and so many in the high desert already know: the accordion isn’t just an instrument—it’s a storyteller, a provocateur, a friend. And it finally had its own desert stage. Will there be another? Well…you’ll have to ask Joe Alvarez at his studio at Art Queen.

You can find his studio where you see the Art Queen sign: 61855 29 Palms Highway – Unit 3, Joshua Tree, CA, or call (562) 556-7560. Follow Alvarez Studio on Insta:  https://www.instagram.com/alvarez_studio_joshua_tree/