SAN DIEGO’S LISA SANDERS LOOKS TO CONNECT AT JOSHUA TREE FESTIVAL
Performing earlier this month at the BaHOOTenzie folk fest at Joshua Tree, Lisa Sanders was beguiled by the setting and the vibrations. “It absolutely takes my breath away at times,” she said. “I just stand there and look in awe. And the energy there is magical. I can’t explain it — it transforms me.”
Just a few weeks later, the San Diego music artist is making a return appearance, along with her duo partner Karen “Brown Sugar” Hayes, at the Joshua Tree Music Festival, which runs through Sunday. They will perform at 10 a.m. Sunday.
The JTMF lineup this year also features the New Orleans jam band Galactic and vocalist Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph on Friday at 10 p.m., plus an international array of artists such as Tamikrest from Mali on Friday at 6:30 p.m., the French reggae band Dub Inc on Sunday at 4:45 p.m. and Canadian singer-songwriter Frazey Ford on Saturday at 1:15 p.m.
Festival founder/organizer Barnett English calls Sanders “a powerful, straight-tothe-heart artist.” Having heard her at BaHOOTenzie and at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, he said: “What really hit home was the deep level of emotion that comes out in each and every song she sings.”
For Sanders, her performances are about bonding with the crowd.
“Every show,” she said, “is reciprocal. It’s not like I’m just standing up there singing a song. The audience has their own energy too. It goes in a cycle, round and round, and feeds me. I just love sending out more love in the world.”
Single-day tickets for the Joshua Tree Music Festival start at $50, with four-day passes starting at $315. It’s about a three-hour drive from San Diego. joshuatreemusicfestival.com