I’ve always been obsessed with desert rock (Desolation Center), which I first discovered thanks to Kyuss and all the bands that spun off from that influential time. You’d probably know Queens of the Stone Age if you don’t know this scene, but I’d also recommend any of their Desert Session group albums if you want to hear some fuzzy, lo-fi magic. This film unites the leaders of the desert bands and shows why this style of music could only emerge from the Coachella Valley.

Where grunge blew up fast and destroyed the Sunset Strip hair metal era, whatever was getting played under the wide open skies miles away was completely different. Rougher. Sexier. Groovier Druggier? Well, more mellow drugs maybe.

Joerg Steineck also put together a doc about Truckfighters, which if you know this kinda music, you’re already hunting down. And if you don’t, you’re like, huh?

This is the kind of music that most hits my soul, as it combines punk, metal and even doom into its own thing, noodling out and getting weird. This movie features tons of people discussing this genre, but it never comes off as braggy as some other music interview docs get. It feels inclusive and welcoming of differences, which, if you think about it, is the main strength of the desert.

You can watch this on Amazon Prime.