Subject: Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

• Coachella Guessing Games

  Around this time every year, fantastical rumors concerning the Coachella line-up begin to simmer. Last year's big "what ifs" were the Police, the Smiths—but then again, that's every year—and Rage Against the Machine. Sometimes the delusions and pipe dreams end up being the truth. Usually they don't. And every year, almost as if by tradition, faux Coachella fliers are whipped up by some dudes who hang out on the internet message boards for way too long. These are the first two I've seen ci

  January 10, 2008

• Coachella lineup to be announced today

  That's the word coming from a story in today's LA Times. Confirmed: My Morning Jacket, Rilo Kiley (who've never been as good as they were the night I saw them years ago at Chain Reaction--so long ago, the Weekly archives don't go back that far!), Jack Johnson, the Raconteurs, the Verve (of "Bittersweet Symphony" fame? Really? Who took their one hit and laughably thought they could sell out the then-Arrowhead Pond with it back in 1998? I know, I was there.) But it's weird. The lineup will be an

  January 21, 2008

• Video Savant: The Verve's "Slide Away" & "All in the Mind"

  Back before they had to add “the” to their name, before they hit it big with “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (and drew the litigious attention of the Rolling Stones' former manager [Allen Klein, biggest asshole in the history of the entertainment industry] for a crucial sample in it), before lead singer Richard Ashcroft decided to embark on a terminally dull solo career, the Verve were among the world's finest space rockers. On the 1993 album A Storm in Heaven and the three EPs that preceded i

  April 8, 2008

• Video Savant: Aphex Twin's “Equation”

  Ah, they don't make 'em like this anymore. This 1999 cut (on the B-side to the world-beating Windowlicker 12,” whose title track was hailed by this writer as one hell of a sex aid) is one of Aphex Twin's weirder creations (which is really saying something). The title is a long-ass mathematical equation, which you can view here. The music itself is as hard to figure out as said equation is for numerophobes to solve. This is Richard D. James at his most madly scientific, hermetically experim

  April 15, 2008

• Last Night: Rilo Kiley at the Glass House

  Rilo Kiley on April 24, 2008 at The Glass House By Gabriel Ryan Better Than: Driving all the way to Coachella and sweating your ass off. Download: Rilo Kiley's With Arms Outstretched I think last night was one of the most interesting Rilo Kiley shows I've ever attended. For one, the crowd was antsy because of technical difficulties throughout the set, and two, I don’t think half of the audience knew any of the songs played other than what was on the new album. The night started off with the

  April 25, 2008

• Coachella, Day 2

  Recovering from yesterday’s illness forced me to miss 120 Days, MGMT, Little Brother and Boys Noize. Bah. But I arrived in time to see some Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks. Their loose rock jams slash sea shanties were adorned with much proggy filigree. It was nice big-sky music for a big-sky setting. “It’s time to go fucking Jack Johnson on your ass,” Malkmus announced later, strapping on an acoustic. That was my cue to bolt. I strode over to the Sahara tent to catch Erol Alkan spinning

  April 27, 2008

• Coachella, Day 3

  Holy Fuck: Holy fuck! Awesome Canucks! Coachella dealt me a TKO, so I missed Sunday. Ouch. Beware the undercooked brown rice... or something. Sadly, my illness prevented me from witnessing Holy Fuck, Swervedriver, Spiritualized, Justice, Modeselektor, Booka Shade, Black Mountain, Deadmau5, Linton Kwesi Johnson, and the unforgettable sight of thousands of near-naked humans texting in the blazing sun. (Huge sigh.) To remedy this void, please check out our sister paper LA Weekly's Day 3 cove

  April 28, 2008

• Coachella Rumblings

  January 25, 2001

• Rumored/Confirmed Coachella Artists Start to Trickle In

  LAist has about 20 artists they say are "confirmed" for Coachella (coming up soon! April 17-19!), and many more that are "rumored"--and given that just about every act of note is "rumored" for Coachella at this point in the year, a classification that's about as meaningful as last night's Golden Globes (though any night when Tracy Morgan and Bruce Springsteen both get to give acceptance speeches is pretty awesome).Here's who they say are confirmed:

  January 12, 2009

• Paul McCartney at Coachella?

  Nope, we still don't have an official Coachella lineup yet (grr), but rumored/"confirmed" names keep popping up, the most recent and notable being famed former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.Music blog Consequence of Sound have moved him to their "confirmed" list; he's currently promoting Electric Arguments, the third album released from his "The Fireman" collaboration with producer Youth, so it's not totally out of the question though it would be, of course, sort of weird. Coachella dipped its feet

  January 23, 2009

• Coachella Lineup to Be Announced Tomorrow - Or IS It?!

  It's been a weird year as far as announcing acts for Coachella go, mainly since they haven't yet.It's usually around this time, but a few days earlier--last year it was announced on Jan. 21. Word came earlier today that it was going to be announced on KROQ at 7:20 a.m. tomorrow (because, y'know, KROQ plays so many of your typical Coachella performers), and as I steeled myself to be up that early (or just not go to bed) and find out with the rest of the world, this comes through on the station's

  January 26, 2009

• Coachella Lineup Still Not Announced!

  This morning's "Kevin & Bean" show came and went on KROQ with no Coachella lineup announcement, despite what we were all hoping to hear. This is getting regoshdarndiculous. The latest intel says it'll be announced on KROQ tomorrow morning; well, we'll see.In the meantime, here's the Arcade Fire doing "Intervention" from Coachella 2007.

  January 27, 2009

• Daily Coachella Update: Still No Lineup, but There is a Fake One

  It's getting to the point where the idea of the Coachella lineup is actually more appealing than whatever the eventual Coachella lineup will be, even if the actual lineup is really impressive. It's like Spock said, "having is not such a pleasing thing as wanting."So yeah, still no official Coachella bill, but a relatively entertaining fake one has made the rounds, with a mix of heavily rumored names (Paul McCartney, The Killers, Fleet Foxes), reasonable estimates (The Knux, She & Him, Yeasay

  January 28, 2009

• Paid Dues Festival Line Up Announced

  As of yesterday, the 4th Annual Paid Dues festival actually ANNOUNCED it's line-up slated to perform at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino on Mar. 28.  The festival is presented by rapper Murs (or Murs 3:16, whatever) in association with Guerilla Union (one of hip hop's most venerable omni-brands, if you don't know,you betta ask somebody). Over the years, it's been dubbed by many as the hip hop equivalent to Coachella. The day long event is known for supporting some of country's most i

  January 28, 2009

• Coachella Promoter Paul Tollett: Relax

  Paul Tollett, the impresario behind the annual Coachella Music and Arts Festival, has heard the millions of voices crying out in terror, and is looking to suddenly silence them. Yes, there's still no lineup announcement. But, in the tradition of positive thinking, that's not a bad thing--its a good thing! Here's him, via the LA Times Pop & Hiss music blog:"I know everybody is going crazy, but we're not stalling, we're still working on the show. Everything we do is in service of the show, not

  January 29, 2009

• Way Too Early Coachella Must-Sees

  I wanted to be the first person in the blogosphere to comment on what bands you should see at Coachella. So here goes. The Aggrolites -- LA's best white boy reggae/soul/funk band. They wear cool clothes and know how to throw a dance party. Thievery Corporation -- Maybe you know them, maybe you don't. The only time I went to Coachella (hello 2003), I saw these guys and they were great. Killer dance/groove stuff. Or maybe that was the weed talking. Superchunk -- They're still around? Bob Mou

  January 30, 2009

• Incoming: Silversun Pickups at the Glass House

  The Glass House's pre-Coachella week--already boasting Jenny Lewis, TV on the Radio, Conor Oberst and The Black Keys--has added another Coachella artist playing a pre-festival gig, LA's Silversun Pickups on Sunday, April 12. Tickets are $12.50 and go on sale this Friday, March 13 for $22.50. Silversun Pickups, who also played the fest in 2007, are playing the big ol' Indio hullabaloo on Friday, April 17. You may best remember them for their mainstream rock radio hit "Lazy Eye," which prompted mo

  March 11, 2009

• Friends: Lend Us Your Coachella Stories!

  Exactly one month from now we'll be in the midst of Coachella, that annual sweaty, magical musical festival in the brutal yet glorious desert of Indio. It's also the 10th anniversary of the thing (well, kind of--the 1999 one took place in October).In the spirit of getting ready for this glorious event, we're curious to hear the best Coachella tales from our local Orange County/Long Beach readers: were you mesmerized by the Pixies return show in 2004? The Rage reunion in 2007? Did you meet your f

  March 19, 2009

• M.I.A. Added to Coachella!

  Saturday at Coachella--already considered weak by many in the blogosphere due to the Killers as headliners and then compromised further after Amy Winehouse had to drop out due to work visa issues--has gotten a boost. M.I.A., who just gave birth to a boy last month days after performing on the Grammys, is going to get right back into it with her third Coachella set on Saturday, April 18 (she previously was at 2005 and 2008's festivals). Rad.

  March 20, 2009

• Get your FREE Coachella App for your iPhone [Correction]

  Correction: Before you read further, the video and description of the Coachella iPhone App below is NOT THE FREE ONE. This program is not affiliated with the festival. The FREE App, written by Dave Bullock has a few specific differences:1) The official Coachella App is FREE, the program below costs money :(2) The FREE app allows you to download photos to www.coachella.com before and after the festival3) The free app has a friend finder that allows you to see your friends locations on a map aroun

  April 8, 2009

• No Sleep till Indio: Huge Week of Shows Leading up to Coachella

  Even if you're not making it out to Coachella this weekend, there's plenty of runoff 'round these parts to keep you satisfied, with a plethora of artists playing the festival hitting us up on the way to Indio.

  April 13, 2009

• [Coachella 2009] Everything New Is Old Again--and Vice Versa

  April 9, 2009

• [Trendzilla] Summer-Music-Festival Hippiewear

  June 26, 2008

• [Sprawl of Sound] Highlights, Lowlights, A'ights and Blights From Coachella '08

  May 1, 2008

• Hotter Than the Temperature at Coachella? Black Lips, Animal Collective, Duffy and 43 More

  April 17, 2008

• DESERT STORM

  May 5, 2005

• Last Night: TV on the Radio at Glass House

  Last Night:  TV on the Radio and Free Moral Agents at Glass HouseBetter Than: Trying to literally watch t.v. on a radio.Download: Dear Science by TVotR...as if you already haven't.    It's rare and weird to feel a sense of victory going to a concert before it even starts. But as the chilly Pomona winds brushed my back rounding the corner of the Glass House on Second St., I couldn't wipe the smile off my face even if I tried. Not only was I going to see one of the main bands I was

  April 15, 2009

• Flower of the Desert

  May 1, 2003

• Never Mind the Shit, Here's Coachella

  Is this annual desert festival an ordeal or orgasmic experience? Yes

  May 10, 2007

• Coachella: Where We'll Be. Maybe.

  Oh gosh. It's almost here. Coachella. Three mind-melting days in the desert. Since the set times are up and all, let's look at what we're expecting to hit for suresies. Though of course, reality (fatigue, giant crowds, changing your mind, passing out from dehydration) may always get in the way.Here's Friday!

  April 16, 2009

• Heard Mentality: Gone Coachella-in'!

  Oh yes. We're road tripping out early in the morn' to the beautiful (sure, why not?) Empire Polo Field for Coachella. I'll be there all three days; my blogging brethren Spencer Kornhaber and Nate Jackson are also hitting the event for a couple days and just might share their thoughts.You won't be able to shut me up, however, so keep an eye both on this blog and on our Twitter page for (nearly) constant updates. Except when I'm driving, that's probably a bad idea. Motel 6 in Palm Springs, I hope

  April 16, 2009

• [Sound Guy] The Indio Index: Coachella By the Numbers

  April 23, 2009

• Cream of the Coachella Crop

  April 26, 2007

• Mediocre? You Can't Be Serious

  In defense of Coachella

  May 4, 2006

• Woozy Warmth

  April 27, 2006

• Two Days in the Valley

  April 27, 2006

• Stinkstock!

  April 28, 2005

• The Desert Rose

  Coachellas sonic souffle

  April 29, 2004

• Letter from Coachella

  May 9, 2002

• Vacation, Baby

  October 21, 1999

• Losing Your Coachella V-Card

  Apatow-comedy parallel alert! By my age, most rock-lovin' dudes who grew up in Southern California are able to sit around -- maybe at a beach bonfire, maybe around a Lake Forest hookah set-up, or maybe over a steaming bag of Pedro's Tacos -- and swap tales of how "experienced" they are with the Coachella music festival. As previous Heard Mentality posts by Albert and Ryan indicate, most of these stories seem to involve weed, awkward sleeping situations, heat stroke, parking lots, bathrooms

  April 15, 2009

• Live(ish) from Coachella: Final Friday Thoughts!

  About to head out to take on another day. Whee! Beth Stirnaman is here in OC Weekly Central (Motel 6 in Palm Springs) uploading pics, so soon you'll have some stuff to look at instead of just these awesome plain text posts. Heard Mentality blogger Nate Jackson is here, too. Say hi, Nate!Before shoving off for Coachella: Part Deux, let's put Monday to bed with some thoughts:- Franz Ferdinand nailed it. Nice little one-hour set drawing on all three of their albums. "Do You Want To," "Take Me Out,"

  April 18, 2009

• Live from Coachella: The Body Says No (plus, Okkervil River, Sebastien Tellier, Lupe Fiasco!)

  Hey, did you know it's hot here today? 98 degrees at last word. But it "feels" like, I dunno, a billion? Yep. Pretty awesome. Trying to summon my (in?)famous reserves of ENDLESS ENERGY, but not necessarily succeeding. The Cure are probably going to play like three hours today. That's pretty cool. Is it cool enough to keep us all alive until then? Only time will tell. I'm more sweat than man at this point. Like Hydro-Man, from Spider-Man. But made out of sweat, instead of just regular water. Ther

  April 19, 2009

• KROQ's Weenie Roast

  May 14, 2009

• THIS WEEKEND: Another Festival in the Indio Desert (Stagecoach)

  You may have heard that something called Coachella went down last weekend at the Empire Polo Field about an hour and a half from here in Indio. This weekend, the ground will once again be plagued by people and water bottles, as it's time for the third annual Stagecoach Festival, affectionately known as the "country Coachella." The main stage is called "mane stage." That's adorable, and appropriate given the amount of horses nearby.

  April 24, 2009

• Beating a Dead Horse: Coachella Third Day Pics, Easy Access Links!

  Coachella may be a distant, sweaty, sticky memory at this point, but that doesn't mean that I'm willing or able to shut up about it quite yet. Beth Stirnaman had some car troubles, causing her arduous trek from Indio to be delayed (and nothing's better than being stuck in Indio when there isn't a huge music festival going on), but did that stop her from delivering these great day three images? Heck no! Check them out here. She got Peter Bjorn & John, Perry Farrell, K'naan, the Yeah Yeah Yeah

  April 21, 2009

• Band of Horses

  August 27, 2009

• Street Scene Favorites This Weekend....Any Thoughts?

  ​It's not much, but consider this meager post the first preemptive stitch to our coverage of the Street Scene '09 festival happening in Sand Diego this weekend, Aug. 28-29. Before you say anything, we know that San Diego is not in Orange County. Though it could be argued that some cities at the ass end of the OC seem just a far away in the middle of rush hour traffic. But geographical questions aside, our music editor Albert Ching will be giving you some up close iPhone coverage of the whole s

  August 27, 2009

• Street Scene: Like a More Comfortable Coachella

  ​ After attending Street Scene, the two-day downtown San Diego music festival that took place on August 28 and 29, I was left with this impression: it's better than Coachella.

  August 31, 2009

• [Sound Guy] Making a Street Scene

  September 3, 2009