Category Archives: Music

Coachella dropped a major clue that Motorhead is playing the festival. (Coachella Facebook/Contributed Image)

UPDATE: Full lineup announced; Arcade Fire, Outkast, Muse to headline

These official Coachella social media posts better not be toying with my emotions.

On Tuesday evening the official Coachella page posted a photo of a playing card depicting an ace of spades with the Coachella and Motorhead logos upon what I can only assume represents the grassy fields of the Empire Polo Club.

UM, MOTORHEAD IS PLAYING COACHELLA, GUYS!

The festival has been dropping clues about other artists performing, but until this Motorhead drop, nothing has been bigger than The Glitch Mob.

This is the most metal act I think the festival has ever booked (and yes, I am saying that Motorhead is more metal than Tool).

Reader Dan Thomas and I are also hopeful that this could lead to Iron Maiden one day headlining the festival.

And now, here are two of my favorite things together–“The Young Ones” and Motorhead.

So is this the most metal act Coachella has ever booked? Sound off in the comments below.

If you want to receive our award-winning Coachella coverage and the lineup when it’s out, sign up for our newsletter.

And if you just found your way to the Audio File for the first time, welcome!

I’ve covered the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival since 2007.

Below is a timeline of all of the Coachella 2014 predictions I’ve posted so far. I call it Coachellaology.

For more Coachella news, photos, interviews and information, visit the iGuide Coachella page. If you want to follow me on social media, I’m at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.

Jan. 7, 2014: Childish Gambino
Jan. 7, 2014: Neko Case, Chromeo
Jan. 4, 2014: The Glitch Mob, The Magician, The Internet
Jan. 4, 2014: When will the Coachella lineup be released?
Jan. 3, 2014: Will the British Invasion invade Indio?
Dec. 7, 2013: Bastille
Dec. 2, 2013: Grouplove
Dec. 2, 2013: The 1975, Chvrches
Nov. 27, 2013: Ellie Goulding, Broken Bells
Nov. 20, 2013: Will Outkast reunion dominate lineup?
Nov. 19, 2013: FLAG, Haim
Nov. 14, 2013: Can we all just agree that Arcade Fire will headline?
Nov. 14, 2013: Lorde, Flogging Molly
Nov. 5, 2013: Mogwai, The Dismemberment Plan
Oct. 25, 2013: Arcade Fire, The Naked and Famous
Oct. 7, 2013: The Pixies
Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel 
June 16, 2013: The Replacements

Childish Gambino (Contributed Image)

I just posted about Neko Case and Chromeo looking likely for the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which is set for April 11-13 and April 18-20 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, but new tour dates have led me to another pick.

Rapper Childish Gambino, who you might recognize as actor Donald Glover from “Community,” released some tour dates today, and Coachella is looking like a possibility.

He recently released a new project, “Because the Internet” and there’s a giant gap in his tour dates from April 3-29. He does have a Los Angeles date listed for May 3 at the Shrine, which is a venue that Goldenvoice, the promoter behind Coachella, has been booking. It’s not a lock, but it could definitely happen.

Also, thanks to Twitter follower @GarrettAMay for the tour date info and and colleague Timothy Guy for his prediction of Childish Gambino. (Tim also called Childish Gambino back in 2012 when he made his festival debut, too.)

In other updates, the Coachella social media platforms have continued to share some tidbits for artists that look very likely to appear at the festival.

Bombino, Factory Floor, Bonobo and Future Islands have all been linked to by the festival’s social media.

Want to know when the Coachella 2014 lineup will be released? I don’t have a crystal ball, but I do have historical data and charts.

If you want to receive our award-winning Coachella coverage and the lineup when it’s out, sign up for our newsletter.

And if you just found your way to the Audio File for the first time, welcome!

I’ve covered the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival since 2007.

Below is a timeline of all of the Coachella 2014 predictions I’ve posted so far. I call it Coachellaology.

For more Coachella news, photos, interviews and information, visit the iGuide Coachella page. If you want to follow me on social media, I’m at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.

Jan. 7, 2014: Neko Case, Chromeo
Jan. 4, 2014: The Glitch Mob, The Magician, The Internet
Jan. 4, 2014: When will the Coachella lineup be released?
Jan. 3, 2014: Will the British Invasion invade Indio?
Dec. 7, 2013: Bastille
Dec. 2, 2013: Grouplove
Dec. 2, 2013: The 1975, Chvrches
Nov. 27, 2013: Ellie Goulding, Broken Bells
Nov. 20, 2013: Will Outkast reunion dominate lineup?
Nov. 19, 2013: FLAG, Haim
Nov. 14, 2013: Can we all just agree that Arcade Fire will headline?
Nov. 14, 2013: Lorde, Flogging Molly
Nov. 5, 2013: Mogwai, The Dismemberment Plan
Oct. 25, 2013: Arcade Fire, The Naked and Famous
Oct. 7, 2013: The Pixies
Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel 
June 16, 2013: The Replacements

Every day the buzz keeps building about the forthcoming 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival lineup.

The fest, which is set for the Empire Polo Club in Indio April 11-13 and April 18-20, traditionally announces its lineup in January after much wild speculation and careful Coachella prognostication. I like to consider these blogs part of the latter.

Neko Case looks likely for Coachella 2014. (Emily Shur/Contributed Image)

Up first today is Neko Case, who last appeared at the polo fields as a solo artist  for the inaugural Stagecoach Country Music Festival back in 2007.  Thanks to reader Nate Hutchinson for sending me a link to Case’s tour schedule.

Her tour that starts in January hits mostly the middle of the U.S. before she takes off for Australia and New Zealand.

Case’s U.S. tour resumes on April 12 in Tucson, Ariz. and then in Flagstaff on April 13, with no other dates listed.

Due to the big gap and the proximity of Arizona to California, I think it’s safe to say we will see her on April 11 and April 18 at Coachella 2014.

She’s been nominated for a Grammy and released a new album, “The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You,” in September.

Chromeo looks likely for Coachella 2014. (Contributed Image)

Another group that looks likely for a return to Indio is Chromeo.

The electro duo is releasing new music this year and has some suspicious tour dates, much like Case. They are playing San Francisco April 12 and Portland, Ore. on April 14 and going up to Seattle before swinging back down to Phoenix on April 19.

Here’s Chromeo’s latest track, “Come Alive.”

If you want to receive our award-winning Coachella coverage and the lineup when it’s out, sign up for our newsletter.

And if you just found your way to the Audio File for the first time, welcome!

I’ve covered the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival since 2007.

Below is a timeline of all of the Coachella 2014 predictions I’ve posted so far. I call it Coachellaology.

For more Coachella news, photos, interviews and information, visit the iGuide Coachella page. If you want to follow me on social media, I’m at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.

Jan. 4, 2014: The Glitch Mob, The Magician, The Internet
Jan. 4, 2014: When will the Coachella lineup be released?
Jan. 3, 2014: Will the British Invasion invade Indio?
Dec. 7, 2013: Bastille
Dec. 2, 2013: Grouplove
Dec. 2, 2013: The 1975, Chvrches
Nov. 27, 2013: Ellie Goulding, Broken Bells
Nov. 20, 2013: Will Outkast reunion dominate lineup?
Nov. 19, 2013: FLAG, Haim
Nov. 14, 2013: Can we all just agree that Arcade Fire will headline?
Nov. 14, 2013: Lorde, Flogging Molly
Nov. 5, 2013: Mogwai, The Dismemberment Plan
Oct. 25, 2013: Arcade Fire, The Naked and Famous
Oct. 7, 2013: The Pixies
Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel 
June 16, 2013: The Replacements

January is the time when the fake posters fly and when people start to get antsy awaiting the lineup for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

The festival, which is set for the Empire Polo Club in Indio April 11-13 and April 18-20, has already begun to pique the interest of its followers with a number of videos posted to its social media sites.

This Coachellaology roundup is dedicated to those videos that have been posted.

So far, three music videos have been posted–The Internet, The Magician and The Glitch Mob. While people may think this is an automatic Coachella bid, I am thinking back to 2011, when the festival did something similar.

That year, the festival posted YouTube videos from Monarchy, Trentemøller, Phantogram, Tame Impala, Lightning Bolt and Fanfarlo on its website in a similar fashion.

Of those videos, most of the artists ended up on the lineup, except for Fanfarlo, who appeared the following year.

Will The Magician be on the 2014 Coachella Festival lineup? (Contributed Image)

Let’s take a look at who has been posted so far:

The first video Coachella posted on its Facebook page on Jan. 3 was The Magician “When the Night is Over” featuring Newtimers

The Magician is the alter-ego of Stephen Fasano, a DJ and Producer who was previously a member of Aeroplane.

He recently released a new EP, “When the Night is Over.”

The Magician has confirmed his Coachella 2014 appearance with a photo and comment on his own Facebook page.

The Magician confirms his Coachella 2014 appearance via Facebook. (The Magician/Facebook)

Will neo-funk group The Internet be at Coachella 2014? (Contributed Image)

Then, later on Jan. 3, Coachella posted a video from The Internet, the Odd Future-affiliated neo-soul group with Odd Future vocalist Syd “The Kyd” and producer Matt Martians.

The pair actually met over MySpace back in 2008 and became friends once Martians moved to Los Angeles from Atlanta.

Odd Future has already been at Coachella as a group, plus individual members Earl Sweatshirt and Frank Ocean have performed solo sets. The Internet hasn’t posted anything on its own social media or website confirming the appearance, but I think this one is a safe bet.

Also, listen to the song “Dontcha,” the video Coachella posted. It’s awesome.

The Glitch Mob could be headed to Coachella 2014. (Contributed Image)

Then, on the morning of Jan. 4, Coachella posted a video from The Glitch Mob.

The electro group was last at the festival in 2010 and has a new album, “Love Death Immortality,” set to be released on Feb. 11. The Glitch Mob has tour dates set for locales that are mostly on the east coast, with the exception of some Texas dates (including South By Southwest). The last announced tour date is March 30 at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami.

That leaves them ready for Coachella in April.

Here’s the group’s new song, “Can’t Kill Us.”

What do you think? Are these artists a lock or just a red herring? Let me know in the comments below.

If you want to receive our award-winning Coachella coverage and the lineup when it’s out, sign up for our newsletter.

And if you just found your way to the Audio File for the first time, welcome!

I’ve covered the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival since 2007.

Below is a timeline of all of the Coachella 2014 predictions I’ve posted so far.

For more Coachella news, photos, interviews and information, visit the iGuide Coachella page. If you want to follow me on social media, I’m at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.

Jan. 4, 2014: When will the Coachella lineup be released?
Jan. 3, 2014: Will the British Invasion invade Indio?
Dec. 7, 2013: Bastille
Dec. 2, 2013: Grouplove
Dec. 2, 2013: The 1975, Chvrches
Nov. 27, 2013: Ellie Goulding, Broken Bells
Nov. 20, 2013: Will Outkast reunion dominate lineup?
Nov. 19, 2013: FLAG, Haim
Nov. 14, 2013: Can we all just agree that Arcade Fire will headline?
Nov. 14, 2013: Lorde, Flogging Molly
Nov. 5, 2013: Mogwai, The Dismemberment Plan
Oct. 25, 2013: Arcade Fire, The Naked and Famous
Oct. 7, 2013: The Pixies
Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel 
June 16, 2013: The Replacements

The crowd cheers for the Red Hot Chili Peppers during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif., on Sunday, April 14, 2013. (2013/File Photo)

We’re only in single-digit days in January and I’m already getting a barrage of “When will the Coachella lineup be announced?” emails and social media messages.

The short answer: The 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival lineup will be announced when Goldenvoice says it’s ready.  (Remember last year when the ink had barely dried on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ when the lineup announcement came out?) The work continues until that poster comes out.

That being said, because I am a geek who loves charts and data and maps, I did update the Coachella release date charts that I made last year with the 2013 information (and Helix Poeticus, everyone’s favorite Coachella Snail).

By the numbers, Monday and Tuesday are still the most likely days for Coachella to release its lineup, but in 2013, Goldenvoice announced the Coachella performers on a Thursday for the first time.
Note: If you notice that there’s no data for the year 2000, the festival took that year off after its initial run in 1999.

I didn’t get as fancy with this next chart, but here are the lineup release dates by year, from 2001 through 2013. I excluded 1999 because the festival occurred in October and the lineup was announced in August. As I mentioned before, Coachella skipped 2000.

Also of note–Coachella’s website and social media networks have been seeing a little more activity in recent days. There have been videos posted and updates shared. This typically happens before the lineup comes out–sometimes days, sometimes longer.

Want to make a prediction of when the lineup will be out? Put it in the comments below.

If you want to receive our award-winning Coachella coverage and the lineup when it’s out, sign up for our newsletter.

And if you just found your way to the Audio File for the first time, welcome!

I’ve covered the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival since 2007.

Below is a timeline of all of the Coachella 2014 predictions I’ve posted so far.

For more Coachella news, photos, interviews and information, visit the iGuide Coachella page. If you want to follow me on social media, I’m at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.

Jan. 3, 2014: Will the British Invasion invade Indio?
Dec. 7, 2013: Bastille
Dec. 2, 2013: Grouplove
Dec. 2, 2013: The 1975, Chvrches
Nov. 27, 2013: Ellie Goulding, Broken Bells
Nov. 20, 2013: Will Outkast reunion dominate lineup?
Nov. 19, 2013: FLAG, Haim
Nov. 14, 2013: Can we all just agree that Arcade Fire will headline?
Nov. 14, 2013: Lorde, Flogging Molly
Nov. 5, 2013: Mogwai, The Dismemberment Plan
Oct. 25, 2013: Arcade Fire, The Naked and Famous
Oct. 7, 2013: The Pixies
Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel 
June 16, 2013: The Replacements

Happy 2014!

We’re back with a new year and more 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival predictions and wish lists, not to mention a gift from the festival itself.

To kick off the new year, Coachella just posted a video of the 2013 fest on its social media networks and website. (FYI, the activity usually hints at a lineup announcement coming sooner rather than later.  Last year the fest posted an incredible video of the art installations at the fest just a few  days before the lineup was announced on Jan. 24.)

Watch and behold the magic and our old friend Helix Poeticus (a.k.a. “The Coachella Snail”).

I’ve been thinking about how it’s coming up on the 50th anniversary of the British Invasion (The Beatles first played “The Ed Sullivan Show” in Feb. 1964) and there are some bands of that era that readers think could be a fit for a certain desert festival.

Reader Dan Thomas sent me this link from Billboard about The Kinks’ possible reunion to mark the band’s 50th anniversary.

When you think about the bad blood over the years between Ray and Dave Davies, that reunion is an even bigger coup than getting The Smiths to play nice. I would put the odds at very slim at best, but Coachella does bring out the magic when it comes to reunions.

For a moment, just let yourself imagine The Kinks playing “Waterloo Sunset” at sunset at the Empire Polo Club.

What do you think? Will The Davies brothers get back together?

And in another question about a band from across the pond, reader Trevor Hirst has some thoughts about a group heavily predicted to play in 2013.

“One thing I haven’t seen anyone mention is The Rolling Stones. After the debacle with the accidental tour date posting to the RS app and oodles of speculation that followed, I would have thought that more people would still see a smolder of fire where that smoke came from. I have a feeling they just might be on this year’s poster – the Australasian leg of their tour ends in New Zealand on April 5, then they’re in the UK in the summer. http://www.rollingstones.com/tickets/
Plus, based on Thomas Mars’ comment on stage at weekend one last year (“We’ve been waiting 18 months for this”) clearly acts are booked well in advance.”

Ronnie Wood, left, and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones perform in concert on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012. (AP Photo)

Trevor brings up some excellent points. In fact, last year I was convinced that The Rolling Stones had been locked in to play from a year prior to that. I was also convinced that a picture of a polo ball on the polo field signified that the Stones were a lock.

The open tour dates make me think this is a slightly more likely possibility than The Kinks (Coachella 2014 is on tap for April 11-13 and April 18-20 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio), but after the frenzy of last year, I think the rumor would have bubbled up before now.Also, the Stones made a lot of money with their own tour and I don’t know what the incentive would be for them to come to the fest.

Will Coachella pull off the surprise of The Rolling Stones a year later or is time no longer on their side for this get? Let me know in the comments below. You can flip through the interactive timeline or click the links below to read my other predictions for the next edition of the fest.

I’ve covered the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival since 2007. All of the Coachella prediction posts here are tagged with Coachellaology. For more Coachella news, photos, interviews and information, visit the iGuide Coachella page.

If you want to follow me on social media, I’m at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.

Dec. 7, 2013: Bastille
Dec. 2, 2013: Grouplove
Dec. 2, 2013: The 1975, Chvrches
Nov. 27, 2013: Ellie Goulding, Broken Bells
Nov. 20, 2013: Will Outkast reunion dominate lineup?
Nov. 19, 2013: FLAG, Haim
Nov. 14, 2013: Can we all just agree that Arcade Fire will headline?
Nov. 14, 2013: Lorde, Flogging Molly
Nov. 5, 2013: Mogwai, The Dismemberment Plan
Oct. 25, 2013: Arcade Fire, The Naked and Famous
Oct. 7, 2013: The Pixies
Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel 
June 16, 2013: The Replacements