Hall & Oates, Brandi Carlile topline new BeachLife Ranch; co-founder comments
by Garth Meyer
The top-selling music duo of all-time headlines BeachLife Ranch, byway of Philadelphia soul, Sept. 16-18 on the Redondo Beach waterfront.
The first edition of the country and Americana version of BeachLife is to feature a three-day lineup of Daryl Hall & John Oates, The Lumineers, Brandi Carlile, Dierks Bentley, Wilco, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Songs of Waylon Jennings–Featuring Shooter Jennings & Special Guests.
The event follows the third BeachLife festival, which sold out two of its three nights earlier this month.
“We’re excited to celebrate the ‘cowboy surfer’ way of life — making memories, weekend barbecuing and listening to tunes, whether on a ranch or at the beach,” said BeachLife co-founder/producer Allen Sanford, who rode horses and spent time at a Santa Barbara ranch in his youth. “A lot of nostalgia there. We always wanted to do two festivals, the bookend of the start of the summer and the end. Instead of beers and beaches, it’s beers and trucks.”
Where does Hall & Oates fit into the equation?
“It is some American in the Americana,” said Sanford. “And they are a big piece of the sailing and boating world. I’ve never been one to stick with definitions that people have given me.”
The headliners for the new festival came together as others in BeachLife have.
“It’s timing, the stars need to align. A lot of planning and then at the end, a dash of luck as well,” Sanford said.
BeachLife is now heading toward its fourth iteration at Seaside Lagoon.
“I tip my hat to those who put on festivals in deserts and parking lots but I wouldn’t have taken on that level of risk if we didn’t have this location,” Sanford said.
The third BeachLife went off with few reported problems, as organizers further streamline the operation each time.
“We’re not big and don’t ever intend to get big,” said Sanford. “We gauge success on ‘does the community like it? Do we lose money?’ It’s out of its infancy now and I think Redondo is starting to embrace it as, ‘this is our festival.’”
Three-day tickets for BeachLife Ranch are on sale now for $299 (BeachLifefestival.com). Single-day tickets will go on sale in a few weeks, to coincide with the release of the full lineup. ER