tony

We kid because we love, and nobody loves Pitchfork more than themselves, i mean me.

Thursday Pitchfork finally gave a pretty sweet review to Coachella. Not very long, not with many pictures, not with much detail, but it was a review, and it was about as glowing as the Fork can get with something that didn't involve Radiohead or the Flaming Lips.


As they say in the political blogs read the whole thing

From Maynard, Tool

• Welcome to our first show in many years. We wanted to take it down a notch, keep it all small and intimite, invite a few friends. Welcome...  But you, dude. You need to put your fucking clothes back on. You're bumming me out. Got lost on the way to Burning Man.
  
  
• New album comes out tomorrow at midnight. I know you fuckers all downloaded it already. Do me a favor. I'm trying to buy this gold nugget shaped like a piece of popcorn, for a ring. So I need you to buy a bunch of records so I can afford that. Big ole gold nugget. Like four of 'em. Then when I hit you in the face for taking my photo, it'll look like someone hit you with a bowl of popcorn. Help me out, will ya? I'm destitute." This was just before Jambi... Fitting considering the lyrics at the beginning of this song...
  
  
• Hope you all enjoyed yourselves. Hope you all got a chance to go in the VIP tent. Of course you all did, right? It's fucking L.A. Everybody's a fucking VIP. Can I get a witness?
  
  

From Madonna

• This is my first festival ever.  Now who's gonna share their drugs with me?

• Does my ass look good?

• Don't throw bottles on my stage MOTHERFUCKERS!

From Kanye West during his hit "Golddigger"

• All you white people, here's your chance to finally say 'nigger'.

pitchfork doesnt want to write about it. they didnt send anyone. they didnt talk about it. they want to ignore it.

stereogum wants to pretend like it wasnt worth it. they didnt send anyone either. they quote people who werent there who said it sucked and condescendtionaly asked their readers to wake them if they saw anything worth making it into the comments.

its tough being an indie in the city. you are always having to worry what clothes to wear and hop on fashion trends that make it look like youre not worried what clothes youre wearing, but imagine how difficult it is to call something a sellout or irrevelant when you have exactly the same sponsors on your blog as the festival did and you write about pretty much all of the bands who were at the show.

those who arrived early at coachella on sunday were treated to a surprise as they were herded through the acres of parking. madonna was going through her set. people were all, "that's not madonna, thats a cd," but every now and then you'd hear a curse word or an improv or a mistake and once you got inside the polo grounds you noticed that half of the field was roped off and protected by a line of security guards and police.

the material girl was indeed putting the last minute details into her first festival appearance anywhere and she was going to make it perfect.

hoards of people lined up next to the yellow tape and sang along to the hits. an announcement was made that 100 wristbands would be given to those who arrived first at the sahara tent 300 yards away, and each wristband would allow the lucky bearer into the special baracaded section right up next to the stage - basically the first ten rows.

this only fueled the early-bird crowd better than the gallons of starbucks that many were hopped up on.

once the music had stopped the yellow tape remained. and then after mrs. richie was safely in her airconditioned ride the tape went down and a stampede of fans hauled ass to the furthest tent in the field.

madonna had been heard but not seen and still her mark had been made. here i am. here i am. i make the fucking rules, even in this scorching desert.

it was hotter on sunday than saturday because both the angeles and demons wanted to check out her set, which many did ignoring all the bands in all the other tents that preceeded her.

what they missed was amazing. the octopus project from austin were first up followed by giant drag and be your own pet on seperate stages. the dears and mates of state played just as well as their predecessors, followed by the magic numbers on the main stage, ted leo on the outdoor theatre, and metric in the overflowing mojave tent.

it wasnt even 4:20 yet stoners and already coachella had given the people their money's worth. the best, so far, were the  suprisingly good be your own pet and the hyper and beloved metric.

then came matisyahu. dressed in black. bearded. looking a hundred years old. sounding like he was born and bred in kingston jamaica. soulful and sensitive but earnest and real. and genuine. as honest as anything the beastie boys did on pauls boutique and just as mindblowing. his band took the main stage and he grabbed the mic and there was no doubt that there was a star in our presence. true that star is a hasidic reggae superstar who skips and bounces when hes excited but if you got a problem with it, thats your problem, not his, since youre not the one rocking the mic flawlessly. youre the one with zinc oxide on the bridge of your nose sporting a brockabrella, youve got converse all stars with black socks who has to get back to working at hot topic in the morning. he, however is changing everything.

it was like being in church even before he reminded us about the tribes who found the light in the desert during days gone by. it was like being in temple even before he let us in on the insights of the promised land. and the music transported us to a tropical isle much different than our parched setting.

the set was so good you had to sit down afterwards. because im a lost soul i got a beer and asked everyone around me in the vip tent if they saw what id seen and they all said different things. one person said they saw a bright light, another said they heard an angel, and a third said they witnessed a horse growing wings and riding over the mountains in the distance as a rainbow leaked out of its ass.

then sleater-kinney came on and brought us back down to earth with their grungey raw riot grrrl snarl which you'd think would be respectful of the the goddess of pop, but you'd be wrong

s-k: hey how many of you are going to see madonna?
crowd: boooo
s-k: how many of you are going to see tool?
crowd: cheeeeerrsss
s-k: yeah i saw madonna in 85 when the beastie boys opened for her. yeah the beasties opened. that will probably be the last time i'll ever see madonna. we're so honored to be on the same stage that tool will be on in a few hours.
crowd: cheeeeeeeers

which led a mini exodus to the outdoor theatre next door to check out bloc party for a few tunes before trying to find room at the gobi tent, the smallest tent, to see the best stage show of the weekend, gnarls barkley who were decked out in killer/creepy Wizard of Oz outfits that mc brown captured beautifully.

when their set was done there were two choices: stick around to hear the mellow brazilian stylings of seu jorge made famous with his david bowie covers in The Life Aquatic where he did those tunes in portugese - or criss cross back to the main stage to see/feel/hear karen o and the yeah yeah yeahs as the sun set.

new york hipsters in their black clothes and pointy shoes have been wearing temporary tattoos of the yeahs for years, and lord knows they put on that life aquatic soundtrack when they find themselves in the rare predicament of being alone with a girl in their studio apartment, and again i insist that the ticket price had been more than paid for at this point, as had been the issues with heat and traffic and lines, because when karen o decided that she was going to plant her little freak flag there wasnt a mouth in the house that didnt form an o.

and people complained that madonna didnt start her set on time but some think it was because she was part of the 30,000 at the coachella stage being blown away by the emancipation of miss o: suddenly there was passion in chilly chill southern california - there was life in the barren desert - water had come out of rock - and manna began to rain from heaven. karens nylons werent meant to be ripped, her soul was simply spurting out from every pore.

so of course madonna couldnt start on time, how the fuck was she going to follow that, for even those who didnt see it could feel it clear across the desert.

but madonna was going to follow it. she had no choice. she would end up starting twenty minutes late. she had filler music playing over the PA as the tent heated up with what some people approximate as 3/4s of the 60,000 attendees squeezing in to see what they had never seen before.

all the flaps on the side of the tent were opened, the sun had set and even the breeze blew in for a good view. and as the music ended its track people cheered in anticipation and when it moved on to the next generic track they sighed. eventually they booed. for the exception of kanye on saturday, coachella had been running pretty much on time. right before people got too pissed some madonna graphics illuminated the big screens and people cheered and when madonnas opening beats of Hung Up blasted the boos  evaporated in the heat and became cheers.

and when the spotlight hit the woman old enough to be most of the attendees mother they screamed, and they urged her on when she asked later if she should remove her pants.

madonna sang, she danced, she slithered on her belly and the crowd ate it up. hipsters and homos alike. that dance tent that had just been rocked by paul oakenfold and louie vega and the night before by hybrid, carl cox, the audio bullys, and daft punk had seen its share of dancing and im telling you Everyone was grinding with madonna on sunday - cynics and fanatics were one.

across the field the dulcet and beautiful mogwai were doing their thing and later massive attack would impress, but as much as i love the underground, it was the establishment who proved why she's the shit and it isnt because of her publicist or because of any bullshit viral marketing ploy, its because in a setting of 95 acts, many of whom are cutting edge and raw and emotional, the cream does rise to the top and the bullshit does have to walk.

and maybe the biggest reason that the so-called indie bloggers didnt go to the biggest and best two day indie rock show in america was because they would have had to figure out how to say madonna's still got it from beneath their shaggy bangs.

if only these geniuses would actually emulate those who they cover and show even a shred of the courage as those who they idolize, then theyd actually earn the cred they so painfully wish to acquire.

Now that Coachella has wrapped, it's interesting to read the reports from the journalists who attended the two-day fest.

Heres one from the New York Times:

INDIO, Calif., May 1 — The concertgoers at the seventh annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which filled a polo field here over the weekend with nearly 60,000 people a day, did not go to be one with the music and get dirty. Nor were they sad, suburban metal teenagers being treated like liabilities, roped and cordoned and overmanaged.

This was an indie-rock festival, 94 acts on five stages, and the operation was delicate: a sleek round of commerce for the taste-making class. Yet Madonna and Kanye West played here this year, and they encountered even more love than the alternative-rock groups that are at the heart of this festival. And for all the famous discernment of these taste makers, one didn't feel much palpable reaction among them.

Until the final acts — including the prog-rock band Tool, the moody electronic pop group Depeche Mode and the French dance-music duo Daft Punk — offered an appropriate moment to loosen up and shout in the dark a little, the participants gamely absorbed and contextualized.

This is not an audience that wears T-shirts of its favorite band or beer. Two hours east of Los Angeles, in the golf-resort desert lowlands, the festival started off six years ago with a crowd that knew what it was traveling there for. Now it has inevitably become larger and more mainstream, but the audience is still largely mid-20's, white, upper middle class, educated: prize ponies for advertisers, who must tread lightly around them.

Coachella crowds are leisure mavens used to exercising choice, and they favor small designers, like Junker and NaCo, rather than Nike logos or keepsakes from old rock concerts. But exercising prudent choice is not the same thing as declaring love. Coachella is not a rock festival for communal bliss: it can feel almost like a trade show, filled with informed and fairly dispassionate consumers sampling a band, checking it off a list, moving on.

Often this was a peculiarly tepid response to brilliant shows. Several bands, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Duke Spirit, Animal Collective, Cat Power and Deerhoof, gave it everything they had, each staging remarkable, potentially career-changing performances. The sense of informed caution was everywhere but onstage.

What is a Coachella band, then? A band that has just reconvened, for one thing, or wants to give a teaser of a forthcoming tour. The original lineup of the Smiths was said to have been courted by the festival but turned down a $5 million offer to reunite. Instead, on Sunday, Tool, a band that hasn't toured in four years, devoted about a quarter of its set to songs from its new album, "10000 Days," with a stage show involving enormous sound and enigmatic, ponderous bad-dream films on the giant video screens. (Its brooding, riff-heavy music upped the festival's low testosterone quotient.)

Madonna previewed her summer tour, which starts in earnest at the end of May, with a 45-minute set of mostly recent songs from "Confessions on a Dance Floor"; she had a Les Paul strapped to her body, a phalanx of dancers, and a live backing band to play letter-perfect late disco. Being a Madonna show, geared toward the visual language of fashion magazines, it was reified on delivery, full of blocked and posed freeze-frame moments. She gave some decent action, however, by cursing at someone in the front row for spilling water on her stage, and mopping the spill herself.

Madonna was in line with another characteristic of Coachella bands: she is a clinical analyst of music from the 1970's and 80's. The Magic Numbers, My Morning Jacket, Bloc Party, Eagles of Death Metal, the Zutons, the Duke Spirit: they all carry deep marks of music from a long time ago. Kanye West, in his Saturday afternoon show, was no different. After performing his hit "Gold Digger," with its old Ray Charles sample, he played old-school D.J., giving the crowd a snippet of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," then Michael Jackson's "Rock With You."

"I'm going to play you one of my favorite songs," he then said. "I swear it's not a joke." It was "Take on Me," by Ah-Ha, one of the most fey radio hits of the 80's. Mr. West did a New Wave dance around the stage, looking as serious as he said he was, and the crowd — which may have been wondering what an emissary of true-blue pop culture was doing on its turf — appreciated the perfection of the counterintuitive cheesiness.

Mr. West used a string section to boost his live sound, and he wasn't alone. Sigur Ros used strings and brass in its dusk-hour set of rock songs fit for cathedrals, hovering for long stretches in the middle ground between crescendo and decrescendo. Gnarls Barkley, a new collaboration between the singer Cee-Lo and the producer Danger Mouse that treads the line between misfit indie-rock and freaky R&B, used samplers, a band and backup singers, with everyone dressed as a character from "The Wizard of Oz." And Chan Marshall performed songs from the new Cat Power album, "The Greatest," with a slick band full of Memphis studio musicians.

For a singer who has conditioned her audiences to shaggy, discontinuous rambling, this was a glaring act of professionalism. Ms. Marshall warmed to the role, pulling her hair back from her face, smiling, keeping the show brisk. At the set's middle, she went back to her strange old ways for a minute: she gave the band a break, sang with a cracking voice and some rudimentary guitar chords, and covered her face with her hair.

Animal Collective played a set of well-practiced, neatly arranged freaking out, using electronic sound samples, processed guitar and lots of wild, elastic, almost ecstatic singing: working under the afternoon's dry heat, the band seemed to be expelling demons and worked against the coziness and knowingness of the crowd, the I'll-blog-about-you-blogging-about-me energy. And Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs won the prize for most sincere response, looking genuinely moved and energized by the sight of a crowd that she said was the biggest she had ever played to.

Moving her long limbs slowly and imposingly, giggling and crooning and screaming maniacally, she was trying to feel something, and finally made the crowd feel something too. In the ballad "Maps," when she carefully sang the line "They don't love you like I love you," many women in the crowd turned to the men they were with and mouthed the lyric, making it theirs.

Madonna, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Matisyahu, and so many more rocked the desert at Coachella that we figured you might like to see some of the best pics of Sunday instead of hearing me blather on about how great they were.

But ps they were great!

remind me never to stop coming to coachella, its beautiful here. not just because of the obvious but because of the feeling the vibe the come from.

people have traveled from all over the world to be here and i took video of them that i will share with you when i get back to hollywood. theyve come from canada and texas and ny and even san diego.

they didnt come to get laid, or paid, or because theres so much going on in indio, or even because the biggest band in america is here, they came for music of all kinds, they came for music from all over, they came to dance and to hear something you dont hear all the time - the near future.

kanye west today took the main stage fashionably late to a crowd of probably twenty five thousand. he pranced around and freestyled with a live band behind him including a string section who stood and played along with nearly every song. he doesnt do whole numbers, just the best parts of each of his many hits. the crowd ate it up and totally fell for him when he had his dj play a-ha's "take me on" as he danced like a stiff 80s white guy. he mocked but it was all in good fun because he had introduced the mtv classic as one of his favorite songs. no kidding.


earlier wolfmother filled the mojave tent with fans who screamed their name and clapped a good five minutes before they were even scheduled to take the stage. america was ready and it wanted the sabbath-styled three peice led by a lead guitar playing singer with an afro and a gibson sg. the contrast of 70s devil music with the peaceful row of palm trees and rose colored mountains behind the stage was shocking.

but nothing was more shocking than running into janes addiction singer perry farrell in the vip area. all day i was telling people that i was from the coachella blog, which i sorta was, since all the pictures that me and the rest of buzznet are taking are ending up in the coachella community which features the blog. plus if you say hey this is for the coachella community it might give people the wrong idea that its going to an old folks home. blog they understand. and perry smiled and went on rapping to his lady friend.

common was good, franz ferdinand wasnt bad, but ladytron was super good, and cat power - omg that woman is incredibly beautiful. tv on the radio was great, lady sovereign (pictured, checking out my beer) rocked the house, and because i listen to my long time readers i even checked out lyrics born who were playing about 50 yards from our tent. not bad chokey.

depeche mode played us out as we had a long walk to our car. from reports of those who stayed they were pretty good but had a very odd setlist. and then everyone ran over to daft punk on the other side of the fairgrounds and people are telling me that more people were there than at kanye or depeche. over 30,000 people. all dancing. all rocking.

who were the worst - she wants revenge.

i was told that atmosphere was also very good.

all i know is i had a killer time and i will be there first thing tomorrow, because i too love music.

one of the best sounds you hear at coachella are crowds clapping and cheering in approval. if you lay it out there people will eat it up. if you mail it in, these people will notice and walk away to someone who's bringing it. these arent people who came there to get drunk and puke, these are people who are withstanding 93+ degree heat, expensive hotels, two dollar waters - and you must drink many through the day - and not-cheap tickets.

dozens of people were waiting outside at the begining of the day looking to buy your ticket, and just as many were waiting outside near the end of the concert trying to get in to see depeche or daft punk.

i ate a chicken on the stick from a thai stand, and a spicy hot sausage from a bbq pit. and i had fried rice. four beers, a double captain morgans, and about 7 waters.

its 239am and i should get to sleep but im trying to figure out how i can get close to see madonna tomorrow. and metric. and the yeah yeah yeahs. only problem is the yeah yeah yeahs play and as soon as theyre done madonna goes on stage clear across the other side. so if you want to get close for madonna you have to only see a few songs of the yeahs. which is probably what lots of people will do, but theres a very strong possibility that karen o will be the best performer of the entire show.

and theres a good possibility that madonna will be rusty, stiff, predictable, and overhyped.

developing...

it takes 90 minutes to get from la to palm springs but then it takes another half hour to get to indio where coachella is.

we got to our little tent and set up and got a ride to the area where the bands would be and where goldenvoice is, and we got to meet the artists who are decorating the dressing rooms. each band gets a different peice of art. very cool.

then marc noticed all these paul frank bicycles that were locked up. above them was a little sign that said "you must sign out if you are going to use a bike." so marc asked where can i sign out two bikes. and they gave us bikes and we biked around over to where the campers were camping out.

the camping area doesnt allow any booze but there was a huge drinking area where you could buy beers. that area also had food areas and two different places to take showers. at only 6pm a surprisingly large number of the 12,000 who bought tickets to camp were there.

we met the dude running the security of the camping area. this is his second year there. he does the warped tour. the cops camp right on the edge of the place next to the entrance and exit, so its safe. and there was a huge inflatable movie screen that they were going to play movies on tonight. including the new coachella dvd which woudl probably psyche me up to see right before i went to sleep under the stars of indio.

then we found ourselves at the goldenvoice aeg bbq dinner. we ate with the aeg guy who was about to go to new orleans for jazz fest. he was very cool and his wife and daughter knew tons about music. we ate chicken fish and steak as depeche mode warmed up down the hill. allegedly last night tool went through seven songs during their sound check to an audience of about 15 as the sun set.

alot of people are here to see Tool.

did i miss the boat on Tool?

it was about 93 degrees today but it cooled down nicely.

we're staying at marcs uncle's winter house about rancho mirage. the pool is very nice and the hot tub is warming up as we speak. if im going to retire one day i believe i will buy a house with a natural warm springs. i know of one in santa barbara. i think i'll have to start saving up for that shit.

when sun went down the lights of coachella were lit and it was beautiful. gorgous lighting on the palm trees. spotlights shooting up in the sky forming a canopie of a half dozen arching rays of blue over the crowd below.

met a man who confided some personal details with us regarding one kanye west which i chose not to believe.

currently we're waiting for the rest of our party to arrive. our three content editors who are driving from hollywood where they attended the secret afi show.

its 148am and im exhausted. ive loaded pics and videos for your ass.

first come first served but shhhhh its a secret

Gnarls Barkley is DJ Danger Mouse who is probably best known for mixing the Beatles "White Album"  with Jay-Z's Black album making the Grey Album. He went on to produce the Gorillaz latest cd Demon Days which made their label cringe since they own the rights to the White Album and were super pissed at him for the unauthorized (and illegal) Grey Album.But millions of records sold probably chilled them out.

Cee-Lo is a Grammy nominated singer and rapper who has appeared on hits from the Black Eyed Peas, Trick Daddy, and Santana among others, and he wrote and produced the Pussycat Dolls' mega-smash "Don't Cha".

So it's no surprise that the collaboration of Danger Mouse and Cee-Loo has created a #1 hit in the UK, their first single "Crazy". But what's really special about it is its the first single ever to reach #1 over there based on download sales alone.

We live in good times.

Just a couple of years ago Matt Costa was just another prettyboy stumming an acoustic guitar on a southern California beach.

Now he's finding himself on a #1 soundtrack, supporting his own record, and on tour with Jack Johnson. And of course playing Coachella.

How did it happen? As he was hustling his demo tape, a copy ended up in the hands of No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont who contacted Costa and the two began playing together to work on a better demo. The demo turned into an EP that Dumont and Costa distributed. But way before Matt was traveling europe and asia with Johnson, he was playing the second stage during the No Doubt / Blink 182 tour.

One of my exgirlfriends is obsessed with him. So I asked her to deliver me a quick bulletpoint list of things that you probably wont see next year in Rolling Stone where he's on track to grace its cover.

01. he used to cover the beatles "norweigen wood"

02. he told a much gorier version of the shattering-his-leg-skateboarding story to my friends & i back in july 2004

03. sometimes tom dumont from no doubt can be seen & heard playing onstage with him

04. he makes me think of the color green

05. he has a song called "sweet rose" which makes me happy because rose is my middle name

06. one of his songs was featured on the curious george soundtrack

07. he also plays piano

08. he is equally good live or recorded

09. he's really into the clothing brand rvca

10. he drew a pirate hat & patch over the picture of himself in my cd

11. i think he's excited about his recent success but slightly uncomfortable with it.

12. i first met him at the viper room, where he chased me on my way out to have me join his mailing list

13. i can think of at least 10 people i have converted into matt fans

14. his initals are MAC.

15. he keeps a fortune from a cookie in his wallet

Sunday had sold out, and despite Depeche Mode headlining Saturday in a region (Southern California) where they have no problems selling tickets, Goldenvoice yesterday pulled a suprise out of their bag of tricks announcing Grammy award winner Kanye West to it's opening day show.

Appearing at 5:45p, the only losers of this news seem to be My Morning Jacket who will have a tough time drawing a crowd versus the man with last year's top-selling single "Golddigger" and most controversial statement - that the President of the United States didn't care about Black folk.

For your planning needs, here are the official times of each performance -

Saturday:


Sunday:


now that we have the times, heres where i plan on being:

Saturday - The Like, Hybrid, Lady Sovereign, Wolfmother, CYHASY, Kanye West, TV On the Radio, Sigur Ros, the beer tent, Eagles of Death Metal for half the set, Cat Power, Depeche Mode, The Rakes

Sunday - Giant Drag, Mates of State, The Magic Numbers, Metric, Matisyahu, Bloc Party, Gnarls Barkley, Seu Jorge, Madonna, Massive Attack, The Go Team, the men's room, Art Brut

what does your lineup look like?
tag:  kanye,  kanye west,  coachella,  kayne, kayne west,  madonna,  depeche mode   coachella schedule, coachella 2006

In case you didn't know - yes you can bring your little digital camera, and medium sized backpacks into Coachella. Leave your chain wallets and Ozzy flags at home though.

In fact here's the complete list of what you can bring and what you cant

NO Instruments
NO Knives / Weapons Etc.
NO Chains / Chain Wallets
NO Blankets
NO Outside Food & Beverage
NO Camelpacks
NO Tents
NO Flags
NO Refunds Or Exchanges
NO Chairs
NO Video Cameras
NO Audio Recording Devices
NO Bota Bags
NO Professional Cameras
NO Stuffed Animals
NO Pets
NO Drugs & Drug Paraphernalia
NO Ins and Outs

OK Backpacks (medium)
OK Hats
OK Sun Block
OK Lighters
OK Sunglasses
OK Cigarettes
OK Small Beach Towel
OK All Ages Welcome
OK Ages 5 & Under Free
OK Fanny Packs
OK Digital Cameras (Non-Pro)
OK Disposable Cameras
OK Film Cameras (Non-Pro)

and here's the Buzznet list of additional things we'd like to see and not see

NO Boyfriends - what happens in the desert...
NO Shouts  from the crowd for "Freebird" or "Stairway"
NO Rocking Out w/ Cock Out
NO Wet Blankets
NO Blue Flame Contests
NO Line dancing
NO Tall Dudes in Front of Me
NO Flag Burnings
NO Book Burnings
NO FCC
NO Blood For Oil
NO Bogarts
NO Constant Checking of Your Crackberry
NO Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem
NO Drinking and Driving  

OK Bellyshirt Contests
OK Heartbroken hotties looking for a shoulder to cry on
OK Brockabrellas
OK Cartwheel Olympics
OK Farmer's Tans
OK Candy Cigarettes
OK Bandannas worn as Shirts
OK GO
OK To clear a path as I approach the Madonna set
OK Boomin Grannies
OK Making "the Bump" come back
OK Disposable Teens
OK Computer
OK To Be Excellent To One Another

The President  met with Bono last weekend in the Coachella Valley for two days of meetings and raising money for the GOP, but as usual the President is in the wrong place at the wrong time. And he met the wrong Bono - he wined and dined with Mary Bono - Sonny's widow. The right time to be in Indio is this Saturday and Sunday, and the VIP to rub shoulders with seems to be the Material Girl.

Witness the buzz:

LA.com 4/24:

Everyone's been talking about Madge's unprecedented appearance, but the real comeback kids are headliners Depeche Mode. Last year's Playing the Angel garnered the strongest reviews since the band's 1990 album Violator. Also, no member appeared in Swept Away.

The Daily Californian 4/24:

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has firmly established itself as the United States' quintessential postmodern musical jamboree in little over half a decade. In the wake of the alterna-stench of Lollapalooza and the violent hippie nightmare of Woodstock '99, Coachella has surpassed considerable odds to become the congregation of choice for some of today's most forward-thinking artists, both big and small.

The Associated Press 4/23:

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is California's premier Woodstock-esque mecca, an indie ode to music spanning two days, multiple genres and thousands of fans since its 1999 inception.


About.com 4/23

The 2006 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will take place April 29th and April 30th in Indio, California.

It is arguably the largest and most significant popular music festival in North America. One special feature of this year's festival is the first appearance ever by Madonna at a music festival.


The Associated Press 4/23:

Imagine if Elvis had decided to make a pit stop at Woodstock.

It's perhaps the best way to put into perspective the hotly anticipated performance by Madonna -- perhaps one of the most famous faces on the planet -- at next weekend's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., a three-day musical extravaganza best known for its lineup of indie rock bands and dance-oriented DJs.

[...]

Is Madonna the biggest act to ever hit the stage at Coachella?

"That depends on your definition of big," Tollette said. "She's probably sold more records than anyone we've had at Coachella."

Tollette says many people can't understand why Madonna -- whose summer tour this year is perhaps the most anticipated -- would play there.

But Tollette added: "She knows a lot of the DJs that have played the Sahara tent, so this isn't anything new for her."

Renowned DJ Paul Oakenfold plays on the same night as Madonna in the dance tent. They're friends, have toured together, and Oakenfold has done several well-received remixes of Madonna's songs.

He said Madonna likely could have requested to play on a big stage at Coachella, but wisely choose to stick with the electronica-themed Sahara tent.

"That's an incredible boost for the electronic scene," Oakenfold said. "To choose the less is more. It's a smaller situation, but it's going to be unbelievable.

They're the cutest sisters in rock since Heart. The older one sings about having a penis and about how a dude she knows is gay. The younger one plays bass in an all girl band who are all too young to drink.

The Like are daughters of music industry hotshots, Giant Drag are sort of a reverse White Stripes where the chick sings and the dude plays drums.

Z Berg, guitarist and singer of the Like,  has half of her dna from former Geffen A&R man/record producer Tony Berg, Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ drummer Pete Thomas sired their drummer Tennessee Thomas, and bassist Charlotte's daddy is incredible producer Mitchell Froom, who also had something to do with Giant Drag's singer/guitarist/goddess Annie Hardy.



Buzznet was lucky enough to be invited to a special showing of Giant Drag around Christmastime last year at the Vigin Megastore HQ. Annie seemed bitter, told great jokes, and melted every boy's heart with her wounded sarcasm.

This blogger fell for her hard.

The Like are THE band for every hot chick i've run across in the last six months. there was a time when that title was held by Sleater-Kinney, The Donnas, and Luscious Jackson, so i will be curious to see how the boys react to the all-female trio and their summer dresses.

in the mean time how 'bout kicking your feet back and enjoying these two videos and you decide who you like better.

not that we have to pick sides.

but sometimes its fun.

in this corner i give you Giant Drag



and in this corner you have The Like

Hard times have hit Brit rockers Hard-Fi and The Subways.

In the last two days throat problems have caused the bands to nix the rest of their North American tours including Coachella.

"I am deeply frustrated by the problem I'm having with my throat." Hard-Fi singer Richard complained yesterday to the press in regards to his throat infection. "We were so looking forward to hitting the States again at the end of the month, and especially looking forward to  playing the Coachella festival, but unfortunately it's just not possible at this time. We'll be back in June and plan to make up for it."

The affected shows are: 4/22 Vancouver, BC Plaza Club;  4/24 Seattle, WA Chop Suey; 4/25 Portland, OR Berbati's Pan; 4/27 Sacramento, CA The Boardwalk; 4/28 San Francisco, CA Slim's; and of course 4/29 Indio, CA Coachella Music & Arts Festival.

Meanwhile the nodules of Billy Lunn's vocal chords are to blame for the controversial trio's pull-out and cancelation of their US tour. Six weeks is how long it will take for The Subways to even think about rocking out again, according to a press statement on Coachella.com

"The band are incredibly saddened by this news but remain positive and look forward to returning to America later in the summer," Coachella is reporting.

In the UK Hard-Fi are chart-topping stars earning critical praise, awards, and hits.

The famously bitchy NME named their 2005 debut "Stars of CCTV" Album of the Year calling it "tirelessly inventive, genre-splicing genius"; The Times of London called it "As close to a five-star record that I've heard all year," adding "there have been some terrific debut albums by British bands this year, but this rough diamond by Staines' Hard-Fi is the best yet"; and Q magazine deemed the group "the next major British band."

"Stars of CCTV" entered the UK charts at #6 in July 2005, and hit #1 in January of 2006.

They earned two Brit Award nominations for Best British Band and Best British Rock Act.

Hard-Fi is probably also trying to get healthy for their five-night sold out run at London's Brixton Academy from May 14 to 18. A feat that has only been matched by the likes of Bob Dylan, The Prodigy, Massive Attack, and The Clash. Only the Chemical Brothers have sold out the historic venue six nights in a row.

The Subways, Q Magazine's "Shittiest Band of the Year", were poised to prove the British critics wrong by winning over the American kids with their catchy rock hit "Rock N Roll Queen" while on their first US tour. Coachella was scheduled to kick off the two-week tear in the States meant to rip through the heartland and the East coast, followed by dates in Canada.

No word at this time who, if anyone, will replace these groups.

• The Coachella Music and Arts Festival isnt technically held in the city of Coachella. It's held in the city of Indio in the famous Coachella Valley.
  
  
• Coachella Valley is made up of nine neighboring cities, none of which are larger than 50,000 people. Those cities are: Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Rancho Mirage.
  
  
• Elvis Presley enjoyed his honeymoon with Priscilla in Palm Springs in 1967.
  
  
• The dinosaurs in "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" where Pee Wee meets the french chick and gets chased around by her huge boyfriend and escapes by jumping into the train are still in Palm Springs.
  
  
  
  
• The dinosaurs are called Dinny and Mr. Rex. They're actual size, made from excess material from the creation of the Interstate 10 freeway.
  
  
  
  
  
• Two weeks of rain is all you can expect per year in the Coachella Valley. Because of that incredible amount of sunshine 95% of all of the dates grown in the USA come from this valley. Farming dates is something that dates back over 100 years in this region which is home of the National Date Festival each year in Indio.
  
  
• The dates originally came from Algeria, Egypt, and Iraq.
  
  
• When driving through the valley you will see acres of modern windmills, that's because the area is one of the windiest regions on earth. The mixture of the cool air blowing east off the ocean through Los Angeles and the warm desert climate make the San Gorgonio Pass on the edge of the Coachella Valley perfect for capturing wind for natural energy.
  
  
• Coachella was originally known as Conchella because of the endless amount of  mollusk shells that can still be found in the untouched desert floor which used to be an inland sea.
  
  
• In the Looney Toon cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, "Bully For Bugs", our favorite wabbit asks directions to Coachella Valley so he could attend  the carrot festival. There have been no carrot festivals in Coachella.
  

But there have been a ton of bands play there.

Here are all the bands ever to play the Coachella Music Festival.


2006

 
April 29

Animal Collective, Atmosphere, Audio Bullys, Devendra Banhart, Joey Beltram, Derrick Carter, Cat Power, Celebration, Chris Liberator, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Colette, Matt Costa, Carl Cox, Common, Daft Punk, Damian Marley, Deerhoof, Depeche Mode, The Duke Spirit, Eagles of Death Metal, Franz Ferdinand, Hard-Fi, Hybrid, Imogen Heap, Infusion, The Juan Maclean, Lady Sovereign, Ladytron, The Like, Living Things, Lyrics Born, My Morning Jacket, The New Amsterdams, Nine Black Alps, Platinum Pied Pipers, The Section Quartet, She Wants Revenge, Shy FX & T Power, Sigur Ros, stellastarr*, Tosca, The Walkmen, White Rose Movement, Wolfmother, Youth Group, The Zutons


 
April 30

Amadou & Mariam, Art Brut, Be Your Own Pet, Bloc Party, Coheed and Cambria, Coldcut, The Dears, Digable Planets, Dungen, Editors, Gabriel & Dresden, Giant Drag, The Go! Team, Gnarls Barkley, Infadels, James Blunt, Jamie Lidell, Jazzanova, Kaskade, Los Amigos Invisibles, Madonna, The Magic Numbers, Massive Attack, Mates of State, Matisyahu, Michael Mayer, Metric, Minus the Bear, Mogwai, MURS featuring 9th Wonder, Mylo (DJ set), Paul Oakenfold, The Octopus Project, OneRepublic, Gilles Peterson, Phoenix, Scissor Sisters, Seu Jorge, Kristina Sky, Sleater-Kinney, The Subways, Tool, TV on the Radio, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Little Louie Vega, Wolf Parade, Yeah Yeah Yeahs




+ + + + + + + +
 
2005
 
April 30

Ambulance LTD, Amp Fiddler, Bauhaus, Bloc Party, Boom Bip, Buck 65, Café Tacuba, Hernan Cattaneo, The Chemical Brothers, Coldplay, Jamie Cullum, DJ Marky, DJ Peretz (Perry Farrell), Eisley, Fantômas, Four Tet, Jean Grae, Gratitude, Immortal Technique, Katie Melua, Keane, Rilo Kiley, The Kills, k-os, M83, Mercury Rev, MF Doom, Nic Armstrong and the Thieves, Razorlight, The Raveonettes, Sage Francis, The Secret Machines, The Sexy Magazines, Snow Patrol, Spoon, Swayzak, Tiga, UNKLE, Weezer, Wilco, Josh Wink, Zap Mama


 
May 1

Aesop Rock, The Arcade Fire, Armin Van Buuren, Autolux, Beans, Ben Watt, Black Star, The Blood Brothers, The Bravery, Bright Eyes, British Sea Power, Diplo, DJ Krush, Donavon Frankenreiter, The Dresden Dolls, The Faint, The Fiery Furnaces, The Futureheads, Gang of Four, Gram Rabbit, Jem, Junkie XL, Kasabian, The Locust, M.I.A., Matmos, Matthew Dear, Midlake, Miss Kittin, New Order, Nine Inch Nails, The Perceptionists, Pinback, The Prodigy, Radio 4, Roni Size, Roots Manuva, Shout Out Louds, Sixtoo, Sloan, Snow Patrol, Stereophonics, Subtle, Tegan and Sara, Thrice, Wolf Eyes, Zion I





+ + + + + + + +

 
2004

 
May 1

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, The Black Keys, Boozoo Bajou, Da Lata, Danny Howells, Death Cab for Cutie, The Desert Sessions, dios, DJ Icon DJ Peretz (Perry Farrell), Electric Six, Erase Errata, The Evens, Eyedea & DJ Abilities, Mark Farina, Laurent Garnier, Hieroglyphics, Howie Day, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Junior Senior, Kinky, Kraftwerk, LCD Soundsystem, Living Legends, Mindless Self Indulgence, Juana Molina, Moving Units, Phantom Planet, Pixies, Q and Not U, Radiohead, The Rapture, Sahara Hotnights, Sander Kleinenberg, Savath & Savalas, Seb Fontaine, The Section Quartet, The Sounds, Sparta, stellastarr*, Stereolab, The Stills,


 
May 2

!!!, 2manydjs, Adam Freeland, Air, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Ash, Atmosphere, Basement Jaxx, Beck, Belle & Sebastian, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Bright Eyes, Broken Social Scene, The Cooper Temple Clause, The Crystal Method, The Cure, Cursive, Dizzee Rascal, DJ Danger Mouse, Donald Glaude, Elefant, Ferry Corsten, The Flaming Lips, Home Town Hero, Le Tigre, The Killers, MF Doom, Mogwai, Muse, Paul Van Dyk, Prefuse 73, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Sage Francis, Saul Williams, The Section Quartet, Sidestepper, The Sleepy Jackson, Supernatural, Thelonious Monster, The Thrills, Thursday, T. Raumschmiere, Whitestarr

(T. Raumschmiere cancelled before the show.)





+ + + + + + + +

 
2003
 
April 22

Amon Tobin, Badly Drawn Boy, The Beastie Boys, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Ben Kweller, Blue Man Group, Blur, Christopher Lawrence, Darren Emerson, D:Fuse, Dillinja and Lemon D, Division of Laura Lee, The Donnas, Felix Da Housecat, Gomez, Groove Armada, Hernan Cattaneo, Hot Hot Heat, Idlewild, Jaylib, Joseph Arthur, Kinky, Ladytron, The Libertines, Little Louie Vega and Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales, The Mooney Suzuki, The Music, N.E.R.D, Nightmares on Wax, Particle, Peanut Butter Wolf, Queens of the Stone Age, The Rapture, Roger Sanchez, South, Spymob, Stereo Total, Talib Kweli. 

 
April 23

22-20s, Aesop Rock, Ben Folds, Black Eyed Peas, Blue Man Group, Café Tacuba, DB, Deep Dish, Dirty Vegas, DJ Irene, Eisley, El-P, Fischerspooner, G. Love & Special Sauce, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Interpol, Jack Johnson, Johnny Marr and the Healers, The Kinison, MARS, The Mars Volta, Mouse on Mars, Mr. Lif, MURS, Perry Farrell-DJ set, The Polyphonic Spree, Primal Scream, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Richie Hawtin, RJD2, Rooney, Sonic Youth, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Thievery Corporation, Timo Maas, Tortoise, Underworld, Whirlwind Heat, The White Stripes





+ + + + + + + +

 
2002

 
April 27

The Beta Band, Björk, Lee Burridge, Cake, Charlatans UK, The Chemical Brothers, Citizen Cope, Cornershop, DJ Z-Trip Folk Implosion, Forest for the Trees, G. Love & Special Sauce, Groove Armada, Jack Johnson, Jimmy Van M., Jurassic 5, Kosheen, KRS-One, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, The Pharcyde, Princess Superstar, Queens of the Stone Age, Sasha & John Digweed, Saul Williams, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Vines, Pete Yorn


 
April 28

Belle & Sebastian, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Blonde Redhead, BT, Christopher Lawrence, Dilated Peoples, DJ Dan, DJ Peretz (Perry Farrell), DJ Tiesto, Elbow, Fairview, Foo Fighters, Galactic, The Mars Volta, Medusa and Cut Chemist, Mos Def, Oasis, Ozomatli, Pete Tong, Ping Pong Bitches, The Prodigy, Rock Steady Crew, Sandra Collins, Saves the Day, Sound Tribe Sector 9, The Strokes, Triple Threat, Zero 7



 
+ + + + + + + +


2001
 
April 28

Aceyalone, Adam Freeland, AK1200, Andrea Parker, Bad Company, Jason Bentley, Jason Blakemore, Blonde Redhead, The Chemical Brothers, Nikka Costa, The Dandy Warhols, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Detroit Grand Pubahs, Dieselboy, DJ Rinse & Flux, DJ Z-Trip, Doc Martin, Fatboy Slim, Gangstarr, Ian Pooley, Iggy Pop, Jane's Addiction, DJ Dara, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Christopher Lawrence, Medusa, Mos Def, The New Deal, The Nortec Collective, The Orb, Ozomatli, Paul Oakenfold, Pedro the Lion, Photek, Plaid, Raymond Roker, The Roots, Saint Germain, Sigur Rós, Roni Size and Reprazent, Smith & Mighty, Souls of Mischief, Squarepusher, Supernatural, Tricky, Überzone, Weezer


+ + + + + + + +

 
1999

October 9

A Perfect Circle, Amon Tobin, Beck, Breakbeat Era, The Chemical Brothers, Cornelius, Derrick May, DJ Food, DJ Rap, Juan Atkins, Jurassic 5, Kevin Saunderson, Kid Koala, Medeski Martin & Wood, Ming + FS, Morrissey, Mr. Scruff, Nightmares On Wax, Perry Farrell, Richie Hawtin, Spiritualized, Super Furry Animals, Underworld

 
October 10

Autechre, Banco de Gaia, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Cibo Matto, DJ Cam, GusGus, Innerzone Orchestra, LTJ Bukem and Blame, Luke Vibert MC Conrad, Mixmaster Mike, Moby, Neotropic, Pavement, Rage Against the Machine, Scratch Perverts, Thievery Corporation, Tool

Stereogum has been one of my favorite music blogs for a while now. They've definately evolved from being just a decent place to download MP3s now and then to a full-force competitor to Pitchfork, minus the chip on the shoulder.

Last week the two Wolf bands that will play Coachella were in NYC. Wolf Parade were at Webster Hall on Monday and Wolfmother rocked the Bowery on Tuesday.

Stereogum's Amrit hit both gigs (which you can read here in its entirety) and not only reviewed them beautifully but took kickass pictures.




Here is a sampling of his reporting --

Wolf Parade:


Wolfmother:

The band dominates the stage. Andrew is their deranged ring leader, jump-kicking his way into instrumental sections, throwing his arms in beckoned calls to the crowd. Across stage there's Chris Ross, pushing and pulling his keyboard, pressing himself flush against his bass amp, somehow still locking with Myles Heskett's driving, Bonham fueled fills. Wolfmother matches each riff's intensity with arena-ready stage antics. They play as though their audience is 55,000, and that's exactly how you feel when you're watching.

Wolfmother killed. I didn't even realize that a pit got going during the encore until I caught an elbow to the lower back. I doubled over, wind knocked out of me, and then I saw my camera bag. Sitting in vomit!