By Crystal Harrell |Staff Writer from Palm Desert Campus|

Although Coachella and the Stagecoach country music festival have concluded, there is still a chance to see an assortment of bands perform in the Coachella Valley.

Four local indie music acts will get the chance to compete in a battle-of-the-bands competition, with the winning artist getting a prize of three thousand dollars. The four acts slated to participate are Kayves, Shawn Don, Bridger and Elektric Lucie.

The band Kayves stems from electronic rock influences and consists of singer Nick Hernandez, bass player Edgar Limon, drummer Adrian Romero, and guitarists Oscar Rico and Danny Gonzalez.

Kayves even got the prestigious opportunity to perform both weekends as part of the Coachella line-up, along with three other desert bands. This made 2017 the year with the most local bands playing at the Empire Polo Club since the festival’s creation in 1999.

Rancho Mirage resident Shawn Don is also a finalist, with his solo hip hop act being a standout with his genre-bending beats.

“I loved Shawn Don’s energy while he was performing onstage,” said Tachevah semi-final attendee Eileen Nunez. “It’s one thing to listen to a song on your headphones, but to actually see it being brought to life in front of you is something else entirely.”

The punk rock act Bridger consists of brother-sister duo Jim Cathcart on guitar and vocals and KT Zapcart on drums, with bassist Dan Dillinger and guitarist Jacob Miller.

The last band to make the finals, Elektric Lucie, participated in Tachevah two years ago as well. The rock group has a strong following with a Spanish-speaking fan base in countries like Mexico, Argentina and Spain.

Members include Viktor Estrada on vocals and guitar, Hernan Hernandez on drums, Jorge Carrillo on bass and Jose Lopez on guitar and keys.

Founded in February of 2013, the Tachevah showcase has enabled local artists to share their music throughout the Coachella Valley in a fun, energetic setting. Voting opened this February for the public to pick which ten bands they wanted to see participate in the competition.

“I think it’s really cool that Tachevah is still part of the Coachella Valley entertainment circuit. I remember when it first started, and even then, I thought it was a unique way to support local bands while also introducing the community to new music,” stated Indio resident Victor Castillo.

The ten artists selected then participated in two different March semi-final showcases in different venues, where only four were selected by a panel of judges to move on to perform in the final concert.

The Coachella Valley community remains very supportive of this yearly competition as a means of preserving interest in the local music scene.

Concert attendee Brittany Stiner claims that the Palm Springs area is known for its culture-based festivities: like the world famous Palm Springs International Film Festival, Splash House, and, of course, the Coachella concert season and Tachevah are no exception.

“Like Coachella, [Tachevah] is a place to get lost in. Everyone out here is there to forget their troubles and worries, and to listen to some great music. The desert is meant for relaxation and this is just a different way of doing that. People want to catch it before it disappears until next year,” said Stiner.