Highway 62

Author: Danny Thompson

Highway 62, from Morongo Valley, up through Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and finally Twenty Nine Palms, is home to an eclectic mix of businesses, people and stories. This weekly podcast hosted by Face to Face drummer and resident of Twenty Nine palms, Danny Thompson, brings you their stores and highlights what this famous stretch of desert road has to offer.
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Mojave Gold with Cooper Gillespie
Monday, 7 July, 2025

Summary In this episode of the Highway 62 podcast, Danny Thompson interviews Cooper Gillespie from Mojave Gold, a new music venue, bar, and restaurant in Yucca Valley. They discuss the vision behind the venue, the talented team involved, the challenges of opening an independent venue, and the emphasis on creating a high-quality music experience. Cooper shares insights into the culinary offerings and the importance of community support for independent venues. https://www.instagram.com/mojavegolddesert/ Takeaways Mojave Gold aims to be a creative meeting place for the community. The team behind Mojave Gold has extensive experience in music and hospitality. Opening an independent venue requires significant capital and effort. Quality sound and lighting are crucial for a great music experience. The venue features a diverse range of events, from country nights to film screenings. Community support is vital for the success of independent venues. The menu focuses on locally sourced ingredients and caters to various dietary preferences. Mojave Gold is designed to provide a comfortable experience for both artists and patrons. The venue's capacity allows for intimate yet high-quality performances. The team is committed to creating a unique cultural experience in Yucca Valley. Danny Thompson (00:02.049) All right, Cooper Gillespie from Mojave Gold. Thanks so much for taking some time out to be on the Highway 62 podcast. How are you today? Cooper Gillespie (00:10.476) I'm wonderful, it's my pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me. Danny Thompson (00:13.664) I'm excited to talk to you. This project's right up my alley. So I was really excited that you guys could find time to do this as well, because I know you just opened. So Mojave Gold, new music venue, bar, restaurant in Yucca Valley. Give us just the basic, you know, kind of rundown of what it is, what you guys are doing, and like what the vision is for this project. Cooper Gillespie (00:38.604) Yeah. So we, we always drive by what was formerly the Abar and go, gosh, somebody's got to do something with that, you know, for about two years we did that. And then finally we were like, okay, we'll do it. And so our vision is really to create a beautiful meeting place for our community, for creatives, certainly for foodies, for people who love wine. mean, I remember when we moved to Yucca Valley. Danny Thompson (00:44.685) Right. Right? Mm-hmm. Danny Thompson (01:02.894) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (01:05.326) about 10 years ago, you couldn't get a good bottle of wine even at Vons, you know? So, it's just that we wanted to create a space that feels really creative and where people can get good food, good meals, see a great show and just have a great experience. Danny Thompson (01:08.354) Wow, all right. Danny Thompson (01:22.07) Yeah, awesome. Sounds really exciting. I thought that same thing because I only moved out here, I guess I'm going on four years or something like that. yeah, I always thought that looked like a great location, really cool looking building and stuff. So I was really excited when I started to see like, you know, little glimmers of like, I think somebody's working on that place. This could be great, you know. So. Cooper Gillespie (01:42.786) Yeah, it was funny to see people on Facebook going, hey, what's going on over there? Anyone know what's happening over there? Danny Thompson (01:48.789) Yeah. Yeah. It's that it's kind of like a fun element that I like about being out in a little bit smaller, you know, community because, you know, I grew up in Chicago and I lived in Orange County for the last 20 years or whatever before coming up here. And it's like, you know, there's so much stuff that it's you don't notice little things like that. But I'm always you know, I'll go away for a week and when I come back, I'm looking at like, hey, is that something new going in over there and what's happening over here? And it's easy to see those things and it's, you know, I think you feel instantly more connected to it and supportive as well. Cooper Gillespie (02:26.689) Yeah, it's amazing how much our community has changed just in the 10 years I've lived here and I'm sure it's going to continue changing. there's just so many exciting shops and restaurants and happenings. I know that there's a lot of cool plans in the town. I don't know if you've seen the thing for the Aquatic Center, but Yucca Valley is coming up and there's a lot of stuff happening around here. Danny Thompson (02:45.358) You sent me a little document that had your bio as well as, you know, everybody involved in the club there. And we can't go through everybody because it's a pretty involved group there, but give us a little bit just a rundown of your background and then maybe we'll touch on some of the key elements of the other partners. Cooper Gillespie (03:11.511) Yeah, well, one of the amazing things about this opening this place was the synergy of the team. Everyone is an incredible, you know, A plus plus plus player in their own right. And we really got lucky in that way. So my background is I've been a musician for a long time. I was a touring musician. And of course I always worked in bars, you know, because bars you could work and then go on tour and then come back and work. Danny Thompson (03:37.112) Sure. Cooper Gillespie (03:37.882) And my husband too, Greg, is the GM and he was also a touring musician and worked in bars for a number of years. And then our partners, Dale and Brooklyn, come from more of the hospitality side of things, having owned Dive, which is a hotel in Palm Springs. And so together we just had this really unique blend of experience. But then we got so lucky when Liz Garrow, who's like a legendary booker, on to book the acts. Danny Thompson (04:04.364) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (04:05.853) and then our chefs are world-class chefs. chef Brynn is, she came from workshop down in Palm Springs and she's up here and she just is bringing a whole new level of gastronomic delight to the high desert. Yeah. So we, got lucky because. Danny Thompson (04:17.463) Yeah. And also she's a drummer, I read, so that makes her extra cool right off the bat. Cooper Gillespie (04:23.15) Yeah. Yeah. We got a, we got a lot of a rhythm section here because Greg is a drummer. I'm a bass player. So rhythm section unite. Danny Thompson (04:29.806) All right. Yeah, that's cool. Yeah, you know, that was something that really struck me when I was reading through the bio there because, you know, it wasn't like, some people that, you know, know a little bit about music and bands and kind of wanted to, you know, you always hear about people, especially anybody who comes into Money. It's like, I'm going to open a restaurant or I want to own a bar. You know, you always hear people with those dreams. And as I'm reading through this, I'm like, okay, these are... talented and experienced serious business people and artists and chefs and like it's an A plus team. I was really impressed. Cooper Gillespie (05:12.717) Yeah, everyone has got an enormous amount. mean, we've all spent our entire adult lives in the business, both either in entertainment and or in hospitality. And so the amount of experience that we all have is really, really wonderful because we all know what we're doing. And I worked, I worked at places where people didn't know what they were doing, but I can confidently, yeah, I did. Danny Thompson (05:32.942) Yeah, we're gonna touch, that was something I wrote down here that we will touch base on as touring, you know, I'm still a touring musician. I just got back from Mexico this last weekend, you know, so yeah, we'll talk about the bad. Cooper Gillespie (05:37.657) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (05:43.423) awesome! Cooper Gillespie (05:47.573) Yeah, yeah. Well, once you've experienced it, you're like, okay, now I definitely know what not to do. And so I think I've always said, like, if it can't happen with this team, I don't know who it could happen with, because we all really know what we're doing. I can say that with confidence. Danny Thompson (05:53.665) Yeah. Danny Thompson (06:03.031) Now you touch base on the Booker, the talent buyer, and that was something that really stuck out to me. Tell me a little bit more about her and some of the venues and stuff she used. Because was a pretty, going down the list, I'm like, yep, I know that place and that place and that place, and I've played there and I've played there. She's not a rookie. Cooper Gillespie (06:05.622) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (06:21.676) Yeah. no. is like legit. She's like a legend. I mean, I don't say that term lightly, but in the booking world, especially in SoCal and the LA area, especially, she's definitely like a booking legend. mean, she is, you know, I don't want to say single-handedly, but almost single-handedly responsible for the incredible Silverlake music scene that we had back in the... Danny Thompson (06:46.101) Yeah. Wow. Cooper Gillespie (06:47.576) late 90s, early 2000s. She booked the Echo for a long time and did a lot of booking for Space Land Presents. She books at the Regent Theater. She's booked so many different festivals. I can't even name them all, you know, and she just has so much experience. And the thing I love about Liz is that she is not afraid to go out on a limb. She's not afraid to take chances on artists or to put together kind of eclectic Danny Thompson (06:51.213) Mm-hmm. Danny Thompson (06:58.69) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (07:12.152) weird things that other bookers wouldn't even want to, you know, touch, you know, and I love that about her because she takes these chances and it makes, it really gives, I already feel like it's given our calendar such a character because we have everything from, you know, a country line dancing night to a disco club to throw rag, you know, yeah. And everything in between. I just, think that's so cool that she does that, that she's, Danny Thompson (07:31.503) I was going to say I saw Thoreau Rag was playing there. Cooper Gillespie (07:40.351) not afraid to like book outside the box and bring in really interesting acts. We've also had film screenings where screening Lydia Lunch's new documentary and Lydia's gonna be there and do a Q &A. So it's like all this cool stuff that I just feel like is bringing this extra element of, you know, of culture to our area. Danny Thompson (07:51.427) Yeah. Danny Thompson (07:59.0) Yeah. So you got this great team. What was it about that venue or the area that made you guys feel like this is the right time, the right place to make, you know, because clearly again, you're not throwing it together. You're making a sizable investment in this place. What was just kind of the thoughts with everyone on why this was a good time to do it? Cooper Gillespie (08:24.61) Well, it's really funny because we're back in December. got a call, Greg and I, from someone who we've been business partners with and known for a long time. And he's like, you know, I was talking to the owner of the, what was the odd bar? And he was saying that, you know, he wants people to come in. And I remember when Greg first told me about it, I was like, absolutely not. Like, I feel like I've just got to this place where my life is peaceful. I got time for myself. Like, no. And then, but I was out of town. Danny Thompson (08:45.539) Ha ha ha ha! Danny Thompson (08:50.575) Mmm. Cooper Gillespie (08:52.374) And when I came back, went down there and looked at it and I was like, dang, I see the vision, we're doing this, you know? And then, and we got together with our partners and like I said, it was just this insane synergy where it was like, there's no question, like it's magic, we've got to do this. And so it was a lot of work because we had to raise a lot of money. And I can see now why it's so hard for people to open independent venues or even restaurants because it takes so much capital and no matter how much you. Danny Thompson (08:57.431) Hahaha Danny Thompson (09:11.07) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (09:21.058) think you need, probably need like a lot more than that. And because there's just all sorts of crazy stuff that comes up like, the HVAC went out. this isn't working. you know, there's just so many things that you don't even anticipate. But we got the lease on March 15th and we opened on May 31st. So it was quick. It's the whole thing's been really quick. And we're just sort of, you know, building this plane as we're flying it. Danny Thompson (09:24.195) Yeah. Danny Thompson (09:31.047) yeah. Danny Thompson (09:43.532) Yeah. And, know, along those lines. And I think that's something that, you know, probably like the casual, you know, you know, music fan who likes to go to venues and stuff doesn't think about that much. But you mentioned a key word there, which is, you know, kind of being an independent music venue, right? Not being so you're not under the banner of Live Nation or something like that. But it talk a little bit about the challenges because that can create Cooper Gillespie (10:02.008) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (10:06.219) No. Danny Thompson (10:12.729) The is when you get to that size of like, well, we want to book a national act. There's so much behind the scenes of like, well, they're only going to go to these live nation venues and things like that. Cooper Gillespie (10:27.478) Yeah, I don't think a lot of people realize and that's why when people you know say in our reviews or when I when we meet them at the venue and the restaurant and they say like we're gonna be here supporting you I really mean it when I say thank you so much like it means the world to us because it is such an undertaking and such a labor of love and it is really hard and it's just like it's especially the money piece of it you know I can see why certain venues might want to sell out and go with a live nation or something because Danny Thompson (10:47.726) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (10:55.24) it, like I said, takes way more money than you think it's going to take just like from like the labor and putting together the food. And then you bring in, you want to bring in a national app or they're going to want to guarantee. And you've got to make sure that you can do the promotion and everything to, to make that guarantee or, know, or you're going to lose money, which happens. Danny Thompson (11:13.291) Right. And you might be competing with an offer or a potential offer from a Live Nation type venue that has a ton of capital and all that stuff. Right. On one show, right. They lose money on tons of shows all the time. And yeah, it's... Cooper Gillespie (11:22.864) yeah. Cooper Gillespie (11:26.56) And it's like if they lose money, it's not like the end of their business. If we lose, yeah. Yeah, we can't really afford to do that. have to, you know, yeah. And, and we are a smaller venue, you know, where, um, our total capacity is technically 478, but we keep it around 300 because we want it to be comfortable for people. So, you know, there's, there's, there's a cap on how, you know, if we're going to have Stevie Nicks come play, it's going to be a secret show, you know, or something sponsored by some big conglomerate because we can't get those kind of, we can't. Danny Thompson (11:46.392) okay. Danny Thompson (11:57.835) Right, right, right, right. Sure, sure, Cooper Gillespie (12:03.499) sell enough tickets to pay for an artist like that, you know? Danny Thompson (12:06.288) Right. It was that was on my notes here to ask you about the capacity. But that is a good size. I mean, you can bring in real good quality stuff at that capacity and still keep it out of reason. you know, people will pay a decent, you know, 30 or 40 dollar ticket for bands that they like in a in a midsize or smaller to midsize, you know, venue like that. So I'm sure you're going to be able to get some great bands and. Cooper Gillespie (12:17.431) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (12:31.681) Totally. Danny Thompson (12:36.592) You know, as I was scouring Instagram and websites and stuff, you know, kind of getting information before we chatted, even from the minute that I kind of heard about what you were doing there, it was really clear to me like it was like you were really putting an emphasis on the music being a big part of what you're doing there, you know, all the way down to the, you know, the what do call that little thing in the like the 45 record? Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (13:03.133) Spendle? Yeah, yeah, we call it the Spendle. Yeah. And even when you go inside, the whole ceiling in the bar area is gold records and our menus come in album covers. know, music is very much a part of it. And I think that comes from so many of us being from music and just, you know, we live in an area that has incredible musicians. I'm talking world-class musicians at every level, you know. Danny Thompson (13:06.414) the spindle logo, you know. Danny Thompson (13:16.687) Yeah. Danny Thompson (13:28.517) Sure. Cooper Gillespie (13:28.819) And it's just wild to me that the only other proper, we only have one proper venue. It was happy. And now there's two. mean, I'm fighting more one open because we need more because we just have such talent in this area. Danny Thompson (13:35.673) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, when I moved out here, didn't, that was something I really wasn't that aware of, you know, it was just how many drummers and filmmakers and stuff. And I always tell the story. We were playing a festival in like Portland and I'm talking to a drummer from another band and it turns out he lives like two blocks down the street from me here in 29 Palms. know, it's like, and so yeah, there is a ton of talent out here. We were, you know, we said we'd come back to the bad of. music venues and you know, I've played everything from, you know, Chuggies Pizza Hut or whatever to, you know, I've played Red Rocks, I've played O2 Academy, Shepard's Bush Academy in London, the big Reading and Leeds festivals, know, everything in between. And some of the best experiences I've had are at, you know, some independent music venues. I'm so terrible with remembering names and dates. I'm really like my age is creeping in when it comes to that. But in Asheville, North Carolina, I think it's called the Orange Peel. In Maryland, outside of Baltimore, there's just this amazing, still like an independent club that does little things for the bands and the musicians when they're there that just make such a difference. Cooper Gillespie (14:44.822) Mm-hmm. Danny Thompson (15:04.272) One thing that always bothered me is when a bar or a restaurant kind of just goes, yeah, we're going to add music. We're going to have some music. It's an afterthought. And then they wonder why it doesn't work. And it's like, okay, you just threw up a crappy PA. It sounds terrible. You're probably driving customers away versus bringing them in because it's not a good experience for the musicians as well as the patrons. I look forward to getting in there and really seeing just the quality level. Are there things that come to mind for you that you've really thought about when it comes to having it be a high quality music experience for the fans and the patrons as well as the artist? Cooper Gillespie (15:52.76) 100 % because like you, I've played everything. In fact, one of the places we were taken care of the best was like when we would roll through, was a little town in Wisconsin. We played this kid's basement. his mom would like totally take care of us with like brats and beers. And I feel like it's always bummed me out when I would see, you go to see a show of a band and know how hard they practice, how much blood, sweat and tears they put into. Danny Thompson (16:07.033) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (16:21.223) the writing and getting these songs up. And then it's like, could tell the sound guy doesn't care or he's just over it, which I'm not saying I don't understand, you know, it's like, they don't sound good. They don't look good. There's just like a plain light on there. And it's just like a bummer because you know, these bands put so much into it. And we definitely put a lot of thought into all sides of that from, know, our sound system is a Meyer sound system. It's top of the line. we, when we got the building, completely Danny Thompson (16:27.184) Mm-hmm. Danny Thompson (16:45.753) Right on. Cooper Gillespie (16:48.789) We hired a guy who does all these big lights for these big shows to come in and relight the whole room so that it looks great for bands, but also for the nights when there's dance nights. We have like an artist menu, so when the bands play there, they get fed, there's beer in the fridge, and depending on what they like, we'll work with them as far as if there's some sort of special thing that they want for the night. Danny Thompson (17:05.027) Mm-hmm. Danny Thompson (17:15.426) Cooper Gillespie (17:16.221) and they have their own area, of course, like a green room, we just want, we really wanted everyone. Danny Thompson (17:20.176) Please tell me they have their own toilet. That's like the greatest thing in the world. Cooper Gillespie (17:25.039) There's an artist bathroom. We're waiting for the day when we can install a proper artist bathroom with our shower for the touring band. Because I remember touring and I get to a place and I'd like, my God, a shower, yes. So that's down the line. But it's really important to us because, like I said, several of us have been touring musicians for a long time. But also going to see show. One thing that I love about our venue is that the stage is raised. So when you can... Danny Thompson (17:27.62) Thank Christ. Danny Thompson (17:32.92) Yeah, there you go. Danny Thompson (17:38.949) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (17:54.045) Anyone anywhere can see well and we have speakers throughout the room so that no matter where you are, you can also hear very well. And I think that, you know, sometimes it's a bummer when you go to certain venues and it's like, you can't really see cause there's people standing in front of you. And we've thought about all of that because we wanted it to be a great experience on both sides. So yeah. Danny Thompson (18:08.256) Mm-hmm, sure. That's great. Yeah. And all those things really help you, you know, draw the good quality bands and the good quality acts. And, know, the word gets around pretty quickly to the booking agents for the bands and stuff. And if the bands are like, that place is great, you know, as they're putting, you know, you know, maybe a regional tour together or something like that, you know, they kind of already know like, Hey, we'll try, we were going through here. We'll try to get into this venue and that venue and that venue and avoid ones that you went to and had just a terrible. experience, you I've been just so mad sometimes after playing at venue. like, it's so, it's not that hard to like, you know, treat people decent, at least decent and, you know, just simple, simple things. And, you know, we joke about the bathroom thing, but it's like, you know, when a band is on tour, it's like that little things like that are so important. mean, I've played at venues where like, Cooper Gillespie (18:46.389) Yeah. Danny Thompson (19:11.032) I always think about that scene from Trainspotting where Ewan McGregor goes into the pub and it says, the sign on the door says, worst toilet in all of Scotland. I've taken pictures backstage and been like, this is pretty close to that, you know? And it's like, do you guys realize this is the only toilet maybe we're gonna have today, you know? Or seven hours ago when we stopped at the truck stop or whatever. And just all those little things that just make you feel... Cooper Gillespie (19:25.078) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (19:30.24) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (19:38.389) yeah. Danny Thompson (19:40.177) Again, another place I can't, I'm so bad with the names, but in DC, it's not the 930 club, it's this other place we play. Black Cat. It's got that really cool pie store next door. And they always put a pie, a fresh pie, for the band in the green room. You know, with a little, just a little note on there, and thanks so much for coming, you know, just, and stuff like that. That's awesome, man, thank you. Cooper Gillespie (19:48.32) Black cat maybe? I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (19:59.767) So nice. Cooper Gillespie (20:06.6) Well, it makes you feel appreciated and gosh when you're touring and you've been in a car for eight hours or a van for eight hours and or a bus for eight hours and you get someplace it's like you're hungry you don't want to have to wait in line with everyone else to use the bathroom I mean it's just like these little things that can just make you feel so appreciated because people don't realize how hard touring is like they think it's just like this fun wild party and it is so much work and you get so tired just like trying to get from point A to point B Danny Thompson (20:27.042) Yeah, sure. Cooper Gillespie (20:34.996) and then play your show and then get to the next place, you know, so. Danny Thompson (20:37.968) Yeah, absolutely. You're 100 % right. well, it sounds really exciting. I can't wait to get in there and see some acts. Give us the rundown. Where should people go to find out like the calendar of events and just who's playing and just all that good stuff. Cooper Gillespie (20:55.07) Yeah. So you go to mojavegoldessert.com. That's our website and you can make dinner reservations. can book tickets. And one thing to note is that they're kind of, they are kind of separate. So if you want to have dinner before a show, you need to book the dinner reservation and also have tickets for the show. Cause sometimes people get confused about that. And then also on our Instagram, it's just forward. So at Mojavegoldessert, you can see everything that we got coming up too. Danny Thompson (21:07.525) Okay. Danny Thompson (21:20.878) Awesome, I'll make sure to put that stuff in the show notes. I just thought of something I forgot to ask, so I'm gonna do this and I'll clip it in. In the edit, tell us a little bit about the menu, this type of food and that we touched a little bit on the quality of the chef, but what's the menu look like? Cooper Gillespie (21:29.298) Yeah, yeah, yeah! Cooper Gillespie (21:40.95) The menu's incredible. I would describe it as New California cuisine. So it's dishes that you recognize, but with a little twist. And all of the ingredients are locally sourced. Our chef is very big on, know, all the meat is, you know, happy meat. You know, it all gets to free range and live its best life before it ends up on your plate and the fish is all wild caught. Danny Thompson (22:03.312) Yeah. Cooper Gillespie (22:09.398) The vegetables are organic, know, everything is, it's about nourishing your body. And we have wonderful options for vegans and vegetarians, but also lots of good dishes for the meat lovers too. So there's something for everyone. And I think you're going to be really blown away when you try the food because there's nothing like it in the high desert. There's nothing. Yeah. I can say that with 100 % confidence. Yeah. Danny Thompson (22:28.671) wow. Awesome. That's amazing. I can't wait. can't wait. Cooper, thank you so much for taking time out. Congratulations. I know the grand opening was the 11th. Is that right? Cooper Gillespie (22:41.174) So 31st of May, we're just about two and a half weeks in now. Danny Thompson (22:42.768) 31st of May was the opening. Okay. Okay. Awesome. And the music you guys heard, you know, I'm going to clip some music in here. So from one of the bands that recently played at the club. So thank you so much for taking time out. And yeah, I hope to check in with you again down the road. Who knows? I may be, you know, maybe someday I'll be playing there at some point. I'll definitely, I'll definitely be coming to see some, bands for sure. Thank you so much. Cooper Gillespie (23:07.038) I hope so.