!!! performs at Coachella 2011 (2011/File Photo)
I’ve really been enjoying the comments and suggestions everyone has been posting and sending to me for the Coachella 2013 lineup. Covering the festivals is my favorite part of my job and it’s really cool to hear from people who are as passionate about them as I am.
I had a few more artist suggestions come up that I wanted to mention. Thanks to everyone who has been sending them. And if you want to enter your 2013 headliner picks in a contest, you could win a gift card to a sporting goods store to snag some camping gear. If you want more predictions and wish lists, I tag all of my Coachella prediction posts Coachellaology. The very long list of artists I’ve blogged about so far is at the bottom of this entry.
Major Lazer (Contributed Image)
Major Lazer
Nick Richardson suggested Major Lazer as a possibility:
“The duo is releasing a new album, Free the Universe, on February 19. Also, their recently announced tour has the Coachella dates conspicuously absent, with a stop in Vegas on April 9.”
Nick brings up some good points. The band has some West Coast dates in March but none are in SoCal. They’re also doing the international Lollapalooza festivals in Chile and Brazil. Major Lazer last played Coachella in 2010.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Contributed Image)
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Speaking of duos, Sam Stilwell suggested Macklemore & Ryan Lewis:
“Just came out with their album The Heist, which got good reviews and ‘Thrift Shop’ their single has been popping up on radio stations around the US.”
Great points from Sam, Coachella has brought out a number of hip-hop artists as they started to break to a larger audience. In fact, it’s not odd to see acts who played Guerilla Union’s Rock the Bells or Paid Dues Independent Hip-Hop Festival show up on the Coachella lineup.
My only criticism of this pick is that unless it’s a rare case, artists don’t do an LA-area show around Coachella season (typically about two months before and after) and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will be at Paid Dues in San Bernardino on March 30.
That being said, there are exceptions to that rule, most recently Kendrick Lamar, who played Paid Dues in San Bernardino, Spring Splash in Riverside and Coachella in Indio all in April 2012.
Haim (Contributed Image)
Haim
Jason Bowen, an Audio File reader who also suggested No Doubt and Alt-J, named Haim as a good fit for Coachella via Twitter. (Note: It’s not a Corey Haim hologram.)
“Have you heard this LA band of sisters Haim? Would be a great Coachella act. Picked as artist to watch 2013 by UK music fans”
Goldenvoice has always been good about getting some exposure to SoCal bands and Haim has some dates booked with Mumford & Sons for February on the East Coast. The group has been building a lot of buzz and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them on the lineup even though I haven’t seen anything to indicate that they would be there.
Remember to enter your 2013 headliner picks in a contest, you could win a gift card to a sporting goods store to snag some camping gear.
Previous Coachella 2013 picks and ponderings from the Audio File and readers:
Jan. 10, 2013: Infected Mushroom, Dr. Dog, Frank Turner, Dropkick Murphys
Jan. 8, 2013: When will the Coachella lineup be announced?
Jan. 7, 2013: Fugazi, Oingo Boingo
Jan. 5, 2013: Sound City Players
Dec. 31, 2012: Alex Clare, Lucero, Alabama Shakes, Beach House
Dec. 28, 2012: Hot Chip, Warpaint, Father John Misty, Cloud Nothings
Dec. 26, 2012: Muse, No Doubt and Alt-J
Dec. 20, 2012: Aesop Rock
Dec. 19, 2012: Daft Punk, The Rolling Stones, Phoenix, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Dec. 14, 2012: The Rolling Stones
Dec. 12, 2012: Airborne Toxic Event
Nov. 30, 2012: Bjork
Nov. 28, 2012: Nick Cave, Tegan and Sara, Converge
Nov. 14, 2012: Sigur Ros, Pearl Jam
Nov. 9, 2012: Paul Kalkbrenner, Kill the Noise
Nov. 9, 2012: Passion Pit, Nine Inch Nails/How to Destroy Angels, Queens of the Stone Age, Run DMC, Rocket from the Crypt
Oct. 19, 2012: Mumford & Sons, Deadmau5, Local Natives, Blur
Want more Coachella goodness? I tag all of my Coachella prediction posts Coachellaology. The iGuide also has a Coachella section that has interviews, articles, photos from previous years and more. Consequence of Sound also has an excellent running tally of Coachella possibilities and confirmations. You can email me at vfranko@pe.com.