Levity: From Day Jobs to the Coachella Stage
The members of the rising dubstep trio Levity — John Hauldren, PJ Carberry, and Josh Tarum — are not far removed from the realities of their former day jobs. In a candid new mini-documentary, the group reflects on their recent past, where they balanced shifts at Carvana, Verizon, and a local burger joint, where Carberry served tables and Hauldren washed dishes.
This humble background makes their recent Coachella debut even more significant. The documentary captures the high-stakes run-up to their performance at the 2026 festival, a moment that served as a career-defining milestone for the trio. “I remember getting a call and saw that it was our agent,” Hauldren recalls in the film. “I picked up the phone and he was like, ‘We just got a call from Coachella, you guys got an offer.’ I just started crying. That’s what we’ve dreamed of our entire lives.”
The High-Stakes Road to Coachella
The pressure leading up to their Friday night set on the Sahara Stage was immense. For Tarum, the stakes were doubled; he is featured in the documentary balancing his rigorous medical school studies with the demands of preparing for one of the world’s most iconic music festivals. The film offers an intimate look at how the group navigated this pivotal moment, which they describe as a potential turning point for their trajectory in the music industry.
The documentary is part of the Arrival series, which chronicles the Coachella debuts of emerging artists. This season also highlights the journeys of Holly Humberstone, KATSEYE, and Gigi Perez, and was produced in partnership with Marriott Bonvoy and the content studio MGX Creative.
“Coachella brought so many new people to our project, more than a single festival or show has in our life,” the trio shared in a joint statement. “There are plenty of people who had never heard dubstep before, which has been beautiful to see… we’re honored we can be there with these new people at the start of their journey diving into this sound.”
Proving the Value of Dubstep
Beyond the spectacle of the festival, Levity views their Coachella appearance as a validation of their genre. “Coachella gave us a lot of credibility in the larger music scene,” they noted. “This music may be on the ‘mainstream’ side within the dubstep niche, but it’s still looked at as ‘weird’ and ‘uncool’ within the music world as a whole… We’re extremely grateful for the opportunity we had at Coachella to prove dubstep is good music that deserves the same respect other genres get in the world.”
With the festival behind them, the trio is looking toward a busy summer, including sets at Electric Forest, Breakaway Minnesota, and North Coast, alongside a co-headlining amphitheater tour with Tape B.
