02 · GALLERY
Five frames.
Pioneertown was built in 1946 as a Hollywood film set, a permanent town for Roy Rogers and Gene Autry to shoot Westerns in. Eighty years on it is still standing, still mostly fake, but the saloon at the end of Mane Street is real. Pappy and Harriet's. Roadhouse since 1982, music venue since the 1990s, the room that broke Lord Huron and that hosts Paul McCartney unannounced on weeks he is recording in the desert. The 250-cap back room has a roof of pressed steel and the High Mojave 50 miles in every direction. The mesquite-grill smoke seeps into the music. The desert is the back wall.
Book the venue weeks ahead for headline shows. The Sunday night Open Mic is the cheapest way in and frequently better than the touring acts. Stay in Joshua Tree the night before or after , the drive is part of the experience.
Roadhouse in a 1946 film set on the Mojave. The room is the music. Robert Plant said as much.
Sunday Open Mic is the deep cut. Friday and Saturday for the headline programming. Avoid Mondays (closed). Daytime visits are worth it just for the bar.
Open Thu-Mon, 5pm to midnight. Closed Tue-Wed. Music most nights, full kitchen.
Drive from Los Angeles, 2.5 hours via I-10 to Yucca Valley, then north on Pioneertown Road. From Joshua Tree National Park, 30 min south. The town has no public transport.