Unpacked by Afar

It’s Feel-Good Friday, and Unpacked host Aislyn and producer Nikki are joined by a guest they’ve been waiting weeks to record with: Afar senior editor Lucy Kehoe, who also edits our UK sister title, Suitcase. Three stories, all good news, landing fittingly on Juneteenth. This week’s stories: A landmark opening in Chicago lands right on Juneteenth: a nearly 20-acre campus on the South Side, a decade in the making, that’s less presidential library and more civic gathering place, right down to an Oval Office anyone can sit in. Five new museums are arriving in one famously museum-rich city this year, from a vertigo-inducing glass storehouse where you can watch conservators at work to a love letter to teenage subcultures, Walkman included. A newly protected stretch of the South Pacific roughly the size of the Amazon rainforest. One that's Indigenous-led, tourism-friendly, and home to about three-quarters of the world’s coral species. Plus: Nikki’s very specific dream of finally meeting a dugong in the wild. Tune in every Friday through June for a fresh trio of stories from Afar’s favorite travel writers and editors. We’ll see you next week. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to Feel-Good Friday 00:02:00 You Are America 00:04:00 London’s Museum Boom 00:08:00 Protecting the Coral Triangle 00:11:00 In Search of Dugongs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to "Travel to Listen," a new Unpacked series hosted by veteran music journalist Tim Chester. Over four episodes rolling out every other week, Tim takes us into the cities where music is more than entertainment—it’s the shortcut to a place’s soul. This week, he heads into the high desert of Southern California to find out why the Mojave has been spawning some of rock’s most original sounds for decades. Along the way, he discovers a landscape that’s every bit as wild and inspiring as the music it produces. In this episode What “desert rock” actually means—and how the Mojave Desert’s extreme heat, isolation, and silence forged a uniquely sun-baked, heavy sound that’s impossible to replicate anywhere else The family tree of the genre: from Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age to Fu Manchu and a sprawling network of bands centered around Joshua Tree and 29 Palms The Mojave Experience, a two-day desert rock festival organized by Patrick Brink of the band Volume—and his plans to bring it back bigger next year Why the California desert has drawn musicians, filmmakers, and creatives for decades: from Gram Parsons’ storied final days—and why Roc Gardner left New York to build a creative retreat called Escape in the desert Where to go and what to do: Joshua Tree National Park, Pioneertown, Pappy & Harriet’s, generator parties under the stars, and why the area rewards a few slow days off the beaten path Meet this week’s guests Patrick Brink is the frontman of Volume, a desert rock band from 29 Palms, California. He organized the Mojave Experience, a two-day desert rock festival featuring Kyuss alumni and scene veterans, and plans to bring it back bigger in spring 2027. Roc Gardner is a songwriter, entrepreneur, and the founder of Escape, a creative retreat for musicians, artists, filmmakers, and thought leaders set on the high desert outside Joshua Tree. A former New Yorker, Roc has hosted everyone from Usher to the Arctic Monkeys since opening. Guest host Tim Chester is a freelance travel and culture writer who has spent the past 20 years exploring the world through the lens of music. His reporting has appeared in NME, Spin, and Afar, and his travels have taken him from Manhattan to Malawi and Beijing to Berlin in search of the festivals, scenes, and stories that reveal a city’s soul. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to the Desert 00:01:00 What Is Desert Rock? 00:02:00 Volume and the Mojave Experience 00:03:00 The Scene’s Family Tree 00:04:00 Isolation, Extremes, and the Desert Sound 00:05:30 Space, Dynamics, and the Mojave Aesthetic 00:06:00 Desert Spirituality: the Integratron and Giant Rock 00:07:00 Generator Parties and Local Radio 00:08:00 Rock and Roll History in the Desert 00:09:00 Roc Gardner and Escape 00:10:30 The Creative Pull of the High Desert 00:12:00 Why You Should Visit A Music Fan’s Travel Guide to the California Desert The high desert around Joshua Tree rewards slow travel. Most of the key spots are within easy reach of the town of Joshua Tree or 29 Palms. Here’s how to do it like a fan. Start here: the essential stops Joshua Tree National Park—a designated Dark Sky Park and one of the most visually distinctive landscapes in North America, where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet. Hike, climb, and stay after dark for the stars. Pioneertown—an original 1940s cowboy movie set built by Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, still largely intact and walkable. The Integratron—a dome-shaped structure built by UFO enthusiast George Van Tassel in the 1950s. Book a sound bath and let the acoustics do their work. Giant Rock—one of the largest freestanding boulders in the world, a sacred site for the Serrano people and a legendary UFO gathering spot in the 1950s. Earthless played an immense show here. It’s on YouTube. Hear live music Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace—the legendary honky-tonk saloon and music venue a mile outside Pioneertown. Paul McCartney has played here. Capacity: 300 inside, 1,000 outside. If anyone serious is touring through the desert, they’re playing Pappy’s. Local Show on Z107.7—Pat Kerns curates a two-hour showcase of local desert bands every Sunday on the area’s community radio station: folk, punk, spaced-out psychedelia, and everything in between. The Mojave Experience—Patrick Brink’s desert rock festival, planned to return in spring 2027. Check the website for lineup and dates. Stay and create Escape—Roc Gardner’s creative retreat for musicians, artists, and anyone looking to swap city static for desert silence. Used by Usher, the Arctic Monkeys, and a long list of creatives. Rancho de la Luna—the legendary desert recording studio that inspired Escape, used by artists across the rock spectrum for decades. Go a little deeper Desert rock playlist—check the show notes for a curated playlist featuring Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Volume, Earthless, and more. Load it up for the drive in. Gram Parsons shrine—the small shrine behind a rock in Joshua Tree National Park, marking where rock’s greatest cosmic cowboy spent his final days. Worth finding if you know where to look. Generator parties—informal outdoor concerts powered by generators, a desert tradition going back decades. Check local listings for upcoming shows, especially in fall and winter. Up next on Travel to Listen Tim heads to Detroit to hear big news at the Motown Museum—and to find out what’s driving a musical renaissance in one of America’s most storied music cities. New episode in two weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She’s 104 years old, newly renovated, and she’s ready for her close-up. On this episode of Unpacked: America 250, host Aislyn Greene talks about the newly renovated ⁠Castro Theatre⁠ in San Francisco, a $41 million transformation of one of America’s most beloved LGBTQ+ landmarks. Aislyn sits down with Mary Conde, SVP at ⁠Another Planet Entertainment⁠, the independent concert promoter behind the renovation, to explore what it took to bring this icon back to life, and why this was always about more than a building. In this episode, you'll learn The history behind the Castro Theatre, from a Lebanese immigrant’s grocery store to a 1,400-seat icon. How the Castro became the heartbeat of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community. What a $41 million renovation actually looks like, from a peach-glazed ceiling to a color-changing chandelier. The story of the organs (yes, plural) that have defined the Castro’s sound for decades. Why Another Planet Entertainment sees this as a gift to San Francisco, not just a business investment. Chapters 00:00:00 The Castro's Comeback 00:02:00 From Grocery Store to Icon 00:05:30 A Safe Harbor for a Community 00:09:00 Inside the Renovation 00:13:00 The Organ's New Life 00:15:30 What's Coming Next Meet this week’s guest Mary Conde, Senior Vice President at Another Planet Entertainment and a lifelong San Franciscan who has shaped the city’s music scene for decades. Another Planet is the independent concert promoter behind Outside Lands and the recent mayoral inauguration party, and the company that took on the Castro’s renovation. Resources Read the transcript of this episode. Explore the history of the ⁠Castro Theater⁠. Buy tickets for upcoming ⁠Castro events⁠. Read about the ⁠Frameline LGBTQ+ Film Festival⁠. Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices