Since 1999, the Coachella Music and Arts Festival has served as an annual epicenter of music for people all over the world to visit. A mix of musicians who have already reached stardom alongside up-and-coming artists who are paving their own path is the driving force behind the festival.
While Coachella has changed over the decades, one thing that remains is its origins, which lie deep in the subcultures of Riverside’s local music scenes of the 80s and 90s.
98 Posse, a prominent music collective from Riverside in the 90s, played a crucial role in Coachella’s origin story. Founded by Bill Fold, 98 Posse collaborated with Goldenvoice Productions in an effort to shine a light on local punk and hardcore acts who are often overlooked by major production companies.
The mission of 98 Posse was brought to life through underground, lowbrow operations. Late nights at the University of California, Riverside’s music venue, The Barn, with 98 Posse were spent bitterly arguing with promoters for representation for musicians. While major music promoters in Los Angeles freely operated in venues like the Whisky-A-Go-Go and The Smell, Riverside’s promoters were left to local backyards, dimly lit dive bars, and, occasionally, breaking into unused warehouses to host bands.
98 Posse member and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker reminisces about Riverside’s music culture, saying, “There was one time we shut down Van Buren for a show. It was crazy. People were standing on cars and the cops were called.”
Bill Fold’s efforts proved fruitful once Goldenvoice Productions discovered the possibilities of Indio, California, as a host ground for major artists. With the notable band Pearl Jam performing in 1993 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio in protest of rising Ticketmaster ticket prices, Indio was quickly viewed through the lens of possibility.
For nearly 20 years, the recognition of Riverside artists’ impact on Coachella remained unknown until the introduction of the Sonora tent on the festival grounds. Serving as a smaller area for lesser-known artists, the tent spotlights the raw, underground artists who still represent the grit and fury of alternative music.
Airon Gauff, guitarist of the band February, played the Sonora tent during Coachella 2026.
“It’s crazy going from playing small backyard shows with only five people, then going and playing Coachella,” Gauff said. “Then going back home and playing those same five-people backyard shows.”
While major artists like Justin Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter were estimated to be playing for over 150,000 people combined during Coachella, the Sonora tent hosts crowds for far less, rarely exceeding a couple of hundred people. Spaces like the Sonora tent mimic the edge that alternative music has developed in Riverside.
For Riverside locals, Indio lies over 70 miles east, in the low desert. The distance, along with the rising cost for tickets, has created a gap between Riversiders and Coachella.
“It’s too expensive. I think nowadays you have to be rich or famous to go,” Johnathan Castellas, a Riverside local, said.
According to Billboard, over half of all Coachella attendees could not immediately afford their tickets, resorting to the “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) plans that the festival offers.
Coachella serves as a focal point for world-leading music acts year after year. While the Inland Empire festival roots go wildly unrecognized and unexplored, the roots remain the same. While rarely seen as a notable hub of music, Riverside’s music culture continues to host local acts in backyards, living rooms and garages.
While Coachella’s platform continues to promote a space for major artists, the impact of Riverside’s small music culture, artists and promoters persists. As the festival adapts and changes each year, the early Inland Empire influence remains an underlying pulse pushing the spirit of underground music.
