Author Archives: Vanessa

Before you get to be in the crowd, you need to know the Coachella basics. (Rodrigo Pena/The Press-Enterprise 2007)

Now that some of the commotion around the lineup announcement for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has died down, I decided that a mock conversation with myself might help with the basics on what you need to know before you buy your tickets.

What is it? The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, but you knew that already, because you’re smart.

When is it? April 25 to 27, 2008

Where is it? Empire Polo Field in Indio

Wait, it’s not in Coachella? No, it’s in Indio. They are separate places, but Indio is in the Coachella Valley. Earn points with locals for that one.

My hotel is in Palm Springs. How far is that? Will I be able to walk? Unless you walk at the speed of light, probably not. Just over 20 miles. However, the traffic at the end of the night can be so crazy that walking seems like a good option.

How much are tickets? $91 for a single-day pass, $272 for a three-day pass, plus Ticketmaster fees.

I want to go camping. How much is it to do that? $55. You have to be over 18 and you can buy your ticket when you purchase your festival tickets.

When do they go on sale? Friday at 10 a.m. PST through Ticketmaster’s online and retail outlets

What day is my favorite band playing? What time are they going on?I don’t know. Who is your favorite band? Check the official Web site for the date. The time slots will be published closer to the show.

Where can I get updates on Coachella? Here at the Audio File blog.

Robots rule! (The Associated Press)

“Any time you got yourself a robot, count yourself in,” Paul Tollett of Goldenvoice said during the announcement for Coachella on Monday afternoon.

He was talking about headliners Kraftwerk, who played the festival in 2004.

“It was pretty legendary,” he said.

I am with him on this one–any time there are robots, or a bunch of people doing the robot, or even a cover of Styx’s “Mr. Roboto,” count me in.

Roger Waters is not a fan of thought control. Who would have guessed that? (The Associated Press)

And finally, Sunday’s headliners at Coachella

–Roger Waters
Paul Tollett of Goldenvoice promised huge production values on this one. I am hoping that means more crazy set pieces and less planetarium Pink Floyd laser show. He’s doing the entirety of “Dark Side of the Moon.” I’m simultaneously intrigued and disturbed. Maybe they’ll just show “The Wizard of Oz” at the same time.

For me, this is the oddest headliner of them all, although Ivan McClain from Ivan Promotions in Temecula brought up a good point that people who appreciate music will love Waters as a headliner.

–Love and Rockets
I’ll be honest, the only Love and Rockets song I can sing off the top my head is “So Alive.” But I do love that song. Maybe Love and Rockets will be this year’s Jesus and Mary Chain.

–My Morning Jacket
This is the band I’m probably the most excited to see. I love their music and I’ve heard that they are made for playing festivals. Jim James, I am looking forward to see you rock out with your crazy, crazy hair.

Death Cab for Cutie plays Washington, D.C. in Nov. 2006. (Vanessa Franko/The Press-Enterprise)

Here’s my take on Saturday’s headliners:

–Portishead
Hipsters of the world, attack me now. I do not understand how Portishead is the big headliner. I just don’t get it. It’s great that they’re getting back together and playing in the U.S., but I am underwhelmed. I always think of them and the Sneaker Pimps together, and I was a fan of neither in the ’90s.

–Kraftwerk
Paul Tollett of Goldenvoice promised that Kraftwerk would have robots! I am all in favor of robots. Yay Kraftwerk! Autobahn! I just thought of something, in the movie The Big Lebowski, was the band that the nihilists had a Kraftwerk tribute, parody, or nothing related to Kraftwerk at all?

–Death Cab for Cutie
Personally, I love Death Cab. I saw them in a pretty intimate setting and they blew me away. I don’t know how that will translate to the giant Coachella stage, but I’m hoping it’s similar to the Arcade Fire’s performance last year–which was incredible and a ton of fun. Ben Gibbard and Chris Walla, if you’re reading this, I would love to hear “The Sound of Settling.” Thank you.

I finally slept last night and let the promises of Coachella’s lineup percolate in my head. Honestly, I thought that perhaps a dream would somehow explain the trio of Jack Johnson, Portishead and Roger Waters as the headliners.

Oddly enough, I did have a dream that was Coachella-related, but it involved Charming Boyfriend and I running into Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine at a restaurant.

Maybe I was subconsciously wishing for the rock of last year’s lineup.

So here are the headliners.

Friday:

Jack Johnson
-I would never have picked him as a headliner. I don’t really see him as being part of the Coachella crowd, though. He’s a little too mellow. He doesn’t even have crazy stage costumes like Bjork!
I have met him before and he’s a super nice guy. And his show sounded good, but was a little too jam band-y for my taste.
However, Paul Tollett of Goldenvoice raved about him in the press conference yesterday. More on that later.

The Verve
-They’re back. A lot of people are excited about this one. I’m not one of them. I never really got into the Verve. However, I wasn’t really thrilled with Jesus and Mary Chain last year before the show and once I saw them, they were amazing.

The Raconteurs
-I love Brendan Benson. I love the White Stripes. I like the Raconteurs. I’m looking forward to some rock on Friday night and this looks like the best bet.

Singer Richard Ashcroft of The Verve performs in Anaheim in 1998. (1998/The Press-Enterprise)

I have typed up the full list from the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Check it out behind the cut.

I can’t wait to hear your comments about the lineup. Enjoy!

I’ll be back, blogging like mad.

120 Days
Aesop Rock
Akron Family
Erol Alkan
American Bang
Animal Collective
The Annuals
Architecture in Helsinki
Austin TV
Autolux
Battles
The Bees
The Bird and the Bee
Black Kids
Black Lips
Black Mountain
Bonde Do Role
Booka Shade
Boyz Noize
The Breeders
Busy P
Café Tacuba
Carbon/Silicon
Chromeo
Cinematic Orchestra
Cold War Kids
Sandra Collins
The Cool Kids
Cut Copy
Dan Deacon
Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip
Datarock
Deadman5
Death Cab for Cutie
Brett Dennen
DeVotchKa
Diplo
Dmitri From Paris
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Dredg
Duffy
Electric Touch
Enter Shikari
Fatboy Slim
The Field
Flogging Molly
Adam Freeland
Santo Gold
Gogol Bordello
Grand Ole Party
Calvin Harris
The Horrors
Hot Chip
I’m From Barcelona
Institubes DJs
Islands
Jack Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson
Jamie T
Jon Butler Trio
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Junkie XL
Justice
Kavinsky
Kid Sister
Kraftwerk
Jens Lenkman
Les Savy Fav
Little Brother
Love and Rockets
Lucky I Am
Madness
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
Manchester Orchestra
Man Man
Metric
MGMT
M.I.A.
Midnight Juggernauts
Minus the Bear
Modeselektor
Mum
Murs
My Morning Jacket
The National
New Young Pony Club
Para One
Pendulum
Plastiscines
Porter
Portishead
Professor Murder
The Raconteurs
Reverend and the Makers
Rilo Kiley
Rogue Wave
Mark Ronson
Sasha & Digweed
Scars on Broadway
Sebastian
Shout Out Louds
Siacq
Simian Mobile Disco
Slightly Stoopid
Sons and Daughters
Spank Rock
Spiritualized
Stars
St. Vincent
The Streets
Surkin
The Swell Season
The Teenagers
Tegan and Sara
Danny Tenaglia
Turbonegro
Uffiecq
Vampire Weekend
The Verve
VHS or Beta
Roger Waters
Dwight Yoakam
Yoav
Yo! Majesty
James Zabiela

Hot off the presses, here are the headliners

By VANESSA FRANKO
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
This year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival relies on blasts from the past and burgeoning independent acts, including a number from across the pond.
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd is one of the festival’s headliners and will be playing the band’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” Paul Tollett, of promoter Goldenvoice said at a news conference in Mexico City to announce the lineup Monday afternoon.
“We’re going to go full throttle on the production,” Tollett said.
The ninth installment of the festival will take place April 25 to 27 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio. Tickets go on sale Friday.
He said he wanted the experience to be something concertgoers would remember.
A number of recently reunited or reuniting acts will be at the festival, including Portishead, the Verve and Love and Rockets.
“We love bands that haven’t played in a long time,” Tollett said.
Portishead will be playing its first date in the U.S. in almost a decade and British pop outfit the Verve will be playing after they recently got back together for dates in the United Kingdom.
Other top acts include Jack Johnson, the Raconteurs, Kraftwerk, Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket, Spiritualized, Justice and the Breeders.
This will mark the second year of the event’s expansion to three days. Tickets sold out last year, with 60,000 people attending each day to see performances capped by the reunion of Rage Against the Machine.
Following the trend of recent years, a number of artists are coming back for return performances, including Death Cab for Cutie and Rilo Kiley.
This year’s festival will be followed by the second annual Stagecoach Festival, which features country music.
Tim McGraw and the Judds are set to headline that event, which happens in Indio on May 3 and 4.
Dwight Yoakam, one of the artists listed on the Coachella lineup, is also playing Stagecoach.
Reach Vanessa Franko at 951-368-9575, vfranko@PE.com, PE.com/blogs/music

We were supposed to see the Coachella announcement almost a half-hour ago. I think everyone is overloading the Coachella site.

In the meantime, I’m making my eyes cross with hitting the refresh button so many times.

Even Robert DeNiro’s waiting!

Maybe there’s a top secret Bananarama reunion in the works!

One more Coachella prediction: Hot Chip. The British electropop outfit played the festival last year but it looks like their tour dates stop in San Francisco on April 24, conveniently right before the start date of this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Hmmn.

Coincidence? I think not.

In the meantime, I am ridiculously antsy and obsessively checking to see if I have any confirmed acts.

Billboard is reporting Portishead for Coachella. They’re saying the Breeders, too, but that’s old news.

I’m expecting the official announcement at 3 p.m., but I have a feeling things will be trickling down all day.

In the meantime, I am off to rock at the Rock-A-Thon.