Tag Archives: Coachella 2014

FLAG (Dimitri Coats/Contributed Image)

You know how the artists of the 1950s/early 1960s have multiple touring versions, like The Drifters and The Temptations? Well, punk rock has its own version when it comes to Black Flag. Greg Ginn and Ron Reyes are touring as Black Flag, but Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, Bill Stevenson, Dez Cadena and Stephen Egerton are touring as FLAG.

FLAG is my pick for the classic punk band at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (at Coachella 2013 it was the Descendents and that is still one of my favorite Coachella moments ever.)

Why? That lineup played the GV 30 show (which was put on and celebrated the 30th anniversary of Coachella promoter Goldenvoice) in Dec. 2011 and earlier this year the band played FYF in Los Angeles. Also, Coachella always has a nod to old school punk and this year it was the Descendents, who played FYF in 2012.

Please pause for a shameless self-promotional plug. If you love Coachella, and chances are you’re at least kind of into it if you’ve found this blog, we’ll be doing a live chat on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 5:45 p.m. Pacific to get together and talk about who we think will be in Indio this year.

If you’d like to chat or ask questions, please click on the widget to open a new window to participate in the live chat. Feel free to ask questions and add comments before we go live on Nov. 21, too.

You can also access the Coachella live chat directly at the Spreecast site.

Even if you can’t make it for the live chat, you can ask a question and watch it later. I’m hoping we can make this a semi-regular thing in the coming weeks and months as we go on the road to Coachella.

Will the Haim sisters be at Coachella 2014? (Contributed Image)

Now, onto the next prediction.

I was convinced sister group Haim (not pronounced like Corey Haim) was going to be on the Coachella 2013 lineup. In the months since, the LA-based group has gotten even more buzzworthy.

I was sure of Haim at Coachella 2014 until one of my colleagues remembered that he had read an interview in GQ that they can’t do Coachella because of an annual family commitment.

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However, Haim announced spring tour dates and reader Nate Hutchinson thinks they will be at Coachella, which takes place April 11-13 and April 18-20 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

The band has a tour date scheduled for April 9 in San Francisco, then April 17 in Las Vegas and then April 23 in Austin, Texas. The dates look like they point to Coachella, but I’m still wondering about that family commitment.

They are also going to appear on “Saturday Night Live” on Nov. 23.

Think I’m on the right track or totally off in my predictions? Sound off in the comments below. Flip through the interactive timeline or click the links below to read my other predictions.

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+.

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

Flogging Molly performs at the 2011 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. (2011/File Photo)

With Coachella prediction season warming up, I got an interesting email from reader Jay Neal about Flogging Molly.

He saw the band’s tour dates posted and noted there were no SoCal shows on the calendar (the band hits Oakland on March 14, Las Vegas on March 15 and Tempe on March 17) for the 10th annual Green 17 tour. Side note–Flogging Molly started the Countdown to St. Patrick’s Day themed tour after fans clamored for them to perform in their town on St. Patrick’s Day.

So Jay made a comment “No SoCal shows could it be another appearance at Coachella!” and mysteriously his comment vanished.

Given the timing and no SoCal dates, I could definitely see Flogging Molly headed back to Indio. The band last performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2011 and before that in 2008, so if it’s every three years that they appear in Indio, 2014 makes sense.

However, I haven’t heard anything about new music from them, so that weakens the case slightly for me.

Flogging Molly fans out there, what do you think? Do they usually hit SoCal on the Green 17 tour? Does the absence of SoCal shows mean Coachella for you?

Will Lorde perform at Coachella 2014? (Garth Badger/Contributed Image)

Moving on, Coachella always seems to get that one artist with the big crossover radio hit. In 2012 it was Gotye with “Somebody That I Used to Know;” in 2013 it was Alex Clare with “Too Close.” My prediction for 2014 is Lorde, the New Zealand teen who has been everywhere with the song “Royals.”

(This gets a tip of the hat to Twitter followers @Bham32 and @JBowen72 who have both mentioned this one.)

The teen phenom hasn’t announced any U.S.  tour dates for 2014, but she is doing a run of West Coast radio holiday shows, including KROQ’s Acoustic Christmas, in December.

I like her chances for the fest unless she gets picked up by a big arena tour. Do you think she will be the Gotye of Coachella 2014?

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Think I’m on the right track or totally off in my predictions? Sound off in the comments below. Flip through the interactive timeline or click the links below to read my other predictions.

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+.

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

Vampire Weekend performs on the Coachella Stage during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif., on Sunday, April 14, 2013. (Rodrigo Pena/Freelance Photographer)

As next year’s touring schedules start to trickle out there is more Coachella 2014 prognostication to be had.

Did Mogwai end up on “The Island” in “Lost”? (Contributed Image)

Scottish post-rockers Mogwai announced upcoming tour dates this week and there’s a mysterious gap in the first half of April. The band will wrap up a European tour in France on April 3 and pick up in the U.S. in New Mexico on April 21.

The 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will take place April 11-13 and April 18-20 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. The band doesn’t have any Southwestern U.S. dates listed beyond New Mexico and the only West Coast dates announced are Portland, Ore. and Vancouver, Canada, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix and more in that week between the twin Coachellas, should Mogwai be there.

Mogwai previously performed at the festival in 2004 and 2006.

They also have a new album, “Rave Tapes,” coming out soon. New material is one way to get on the lineup.

The Dismemberment Plan is from Washington D.C., which might explain why they have Thor’s crab mallet in this promo photo. (Contributed Image)

Another band that has new music that I’m really hoping to see at the Empire Polo Club is The Dismemberment Plan.

The indie rockers hail from Washington D.C. and their album “Emergency & I” is still one of my favorites.  I was at their farewell show in 2003 at the 9:30 Club  and it was fantastic.

Admittedly, this is a band that is on my Coachella Wish List, but I think there’s a chance The D-Plan could head west.

They’ve been back together for a little while, but only released a new album, “Uncanney Valley,” in mid-October. They also played Riot Fest this year.  The band is playing a Los Angeles date (at the Goldenvoice-run Fonda) in December, but hopefully they’ll swing back to Indio in the spring.

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Think I’m on the right track or totally off in my predictions? Sound off in the comments below. Flip through the interactive timeline or click the links below to read my other predictions.

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+.

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

Will Arcade Fire be at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in support of new album “Reflektor”? (Guy Aroch/Contributed Image)

Can we all just agree that it would be more shocking to NOT see Arcade Fire top the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival lineup?

As soon as the Coachella 2014 pre-sale information came out mere weeks after Coachella 2013 wrapped, I called Arcade Fire’s return as a headliner.

Now, as the band’s fourth album, “Reflektor,” is about to be released on Oct. 29 on Merge, I think there’s even stronger evidence to see the band light up the Indio night at the Empire Polo Club.

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-The band has done Coachella after the release of each album in their catalog.  After “The Suburbs” came out in 2010, the band made its headliner debut in 2011.  New material is always a good sign for Coachella.  Speaking of the new album, the band was cool enough to give a teaser for the album that is the full album.

-Arcade Fire is made for the Coachella masses.  They came up through the ranks to earn that headlining spot in 2011 and “Reflektor” could be one of the biggest albums of the year.

-The band hasn’t announced any U.S. tour dates just yet, but they have announced that they will be on Australia’s Big Day Out touring festival in early 2014. Big Day Out gives a good indication of who we might see at Coachella. For example, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Yeah Yeah Yeahs played both fests in 2013,  but most years the undercard bands have more overlap.

The Naked and Famous could be one of the breakout bands headed to Coachella 2014. (Contributed Image)

Speaking of Australia, I think one of the Pacific Rim bands we’ll see at Coachella 2014 is New Zealand combo The Naked and Famous.

The buzzworthy band is getting a lot of attention and has a big show at the Fox Theater in Pomona on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Pomona Fox is booked by Goldenvoice, the same promoter that puts on Coachella. The Pomona Fox lineup and the Glass House lineup are both places that are proving grounds for future Coachella bands.

Plus, the band has tour dates for 2014 and the Coachella dates (April 11-13, 2014 and April 18-20, 2014) are open. The group is playing Los Angeles in February with Imagine Dragons, right around the cutoff time for Coachella. (Unless it’s part of a special show, bands won’t play in/around LA for a couple months before and after Coachella.)

The Naked and Famous also have a new record, “In Rolling Waves,” out.

Think I’m on the right track or totally off in my predictions? Sound off in the comments below. Flip through the interactive timeline or click the links below to read my other predictions.

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+.

Oct. 7, 2013: The Pixies
Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel
June 16, 2013: The Replacements

The Pixies, from left, Kim Shattuck, Joey Santiago, Black Francis and David Lovering, pose for a portrait in New York. The band will be touring in 2014 and is a likely contender for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (AP Photo)

Happy Monday and happy start of  the official Coachellaology season. I’m putting my money on alternative music gods The Pixies being high up on the lineup at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Why?

1. The band, which originally formed in Boston, is back together (minus Kim Deal, plus the amazing Kim Shattuck of The Muffs) and released new material in September.

2. The Pixies have a history at Coachella. The band’s big reunion happened at Coachella back in 2004. In fact, let’s watch “Caribou” from that performance.

3. The band released 2014 tour dates this morning. The band does Northern California and Las Vegas and Arizona in late February, but has no Southern California dates listed. Those cities are typically the neighbors of any SoCal shows when it comes to tour routing. There aren’t even open dates for SoCal shows to be added later.

This is what makes me think The Pixies are a lock for Coachella.

The good news is that with no Central Coast shows listed, either, I think there could be some special Pixies gigs before and in between the twin Coachellas, which are set for April 11-13 and April 18-20, 2014.

4. Never underestimate the power of The Pixies. Most of the bands that have played Coachella over the years wouldn’t exist without The Pixies.

Here’s my biggest question about the band being on the lineup: Are The Pixies strong enough to be a headliner, or are they a better fit as the penultimate act on the main stage? Discuss in the comments below.

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.

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The iGuide also has a Coachella section that has interviews, articles, photos from previous years and more. Want to share your predictions? You can email me at vfranko@pe.com or comment below.

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

Previous Coachella 2014 picks and ponderings from the Audio File and readers:

Oct. 2, 2013: Paul McCartney, Luscious Jackson
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel
June 16, 2013: The Replacements

The wind kicks up Sunday evening, April 14, 2013, during Day 3 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (2013/File Photo)

It’s that time of the year again–with the fall weather and touring schedules starting to appear for 2014, get ready for more frequent 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival predictions, or as I like to call it, Coachellaology.

Coachella returns for a third year of twin editions at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 11-13 and April 18-20, 2014 and I’m going with a possible headliner to start today’s predictions.

Paul McCartney is releasing a new album. (Mary McCartney/Contributed Image)

Paul McCartney

Yes, Paul McCartney headlined Coachella back in 2009, but he is also releasing a new album, called “New,”  on Oct. 15.  New material is always a plus if someone might be headed to Coachella.  Another plus is that McCartney has been coming to the festival EVERY year since he performed. Goldenvoice’s Skip Paige mentioned that fun fact during his Coachella Festival-related keynote speech at the recent  State of the County address in Palm Springs.

On the other hand, McCartney has become a major music festival regular and it might not be the right fit for an upcoming  year when more contemporary bands like Arcade Fire and Coldplay (both of which are previous Coachella headliners) are also releasing new music.

But, he’s still a Beatle, and a Beatle with a new album at that.

Here’s McCartney doing “My Love” and talking about Linda McCartney from Coachella 2009.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you can get an early listen of “New” with a special event on Sunday, Oct. 6. The first 400 cars to arrive at the Vineland Drive-In at 443 N. Vineland Ave. in City of Industry will hear the album via the theater’s FM transmitter. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and the parking lot opens at 6 p.m.

But wait, there’s more. I have another Coachella 2014 prediction for you.

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Luscious Jackson has reunited and is making new music. (Doug Seymour/Contributed Image)

Luscious Jackson

Coachella loves a reunion and Coachella loves a reunion with new music even more.

Luscious Jackson was one of those great ’90s bands that captured the alternative nation. Now the New York-based band is back together and making new music. The new album “Magic Hour” (the band’s first in 14 years) will be out Nov. 5.

The band has announced two tour dates so far–Nov. 23 in Philadelphia and Dec. 7 in New York City. These will be Luscious Jackson’s first live shows in more than a decade.

Plus, the new music is really, really good. Check out “Show Us What You Got.”

Want to know what other Coachella predictions I’ve posted so far? Click through the timeline below.

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.

Want more Coachella goodness? I tag all of my Coachella prediction posts Coachellaology. TheiGuide also has a Coachella section that has interviews, articles, photos from previous years and more. Want to share your predictions? You can email me at vfranko@pe.com or comment below.

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

Previous Coachella 2014 picks and ponderings from the Audio File and readers:
June 16, 2013: The Replacements
Aug. 2, 2013: Neutral Milk Hotel

Social Distortion performs on the Coachella Stage during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif., on Sunday, April 14, 2013. (Rodrigo Pena/Freelance Photographer)

Hipsters all over freaked out with happiness when the ever-elusive Neutral Milk Hotel said they would be returning to the stage for a major reunion tour and earlier this week, the band announced a batch of tour dates for 2014.

While it doesn’t have the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival listed, I think it’s highly likely we’ll see Neutral Milk Hotel at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Here’s why:

1. The last announced U.S. tour date is Texas in February. That leaves the spring for the West Coast.  Plus, the other international dates announced are booked for after Coachella 2014.

2. Reclusive singer Jeff Mangum performed at Coachella 2012, with an intimate set on the Outdoor Theater stage (no photos allowed for that performance–even the video screens were off) that was very well-received.

3. Coachella LOVES reunions. Other than The Replacements, who make their return to the stage at RiotFest, this is the other major reunion that is actually happening so far that fits the Coachella bill.

What do you think? Will Neutral Milk Hotel be at Coachella 2014? Who do you think will play?

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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.

You can email me at vfranko@pe.com or follow me  at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.

Now, here’s some Neutral Milk Hotel to ease you into the weekend.

The Replacements have reunited. Will they play Coachella 2014? (Twin Tone Records/Contributed Image)

We’re still a few months off from knowing who will be playing the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (in fact, we are probably about seven months away), but why should that stop the fun speculation?

A few days ago, the news broke that punk-spirited Minneapolis icons The Replacements were reuniting for their first performance in more than 20 years at the punk-leaning Riot Fest in Chicago. (The band is also playing the Denver and Toronto Riot Fest dates).

I think Riot Fest is just a warm-up for the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Rolling Stone’s story about the reunion even said that ‘Mats bassist Tommy Stinson said Coachella had offered “silly money” but that Riot Fest was “It was just the timing and the aligning of the planets.”

I have to think that one of the planets that aligned was what Axl Rose calls Guns ‘N’ Roses. Stinson has been playing with Axl and Friends since 1998. With GNR having Australian dates through the end of March of this year, I just don’t think the ‘Mats would have been able to do Coachella 2013.

Hopefully, Stinson and Westerberg will continue to have warm fuzzy feelings and make it to Indio next spring. I wouldn’t mind hearing some Westerberg solo stuff, either. Do you think The ‘Mats will play Coachella 2014? What would you want to hear them play? Post in the comments below.

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More Coachella 2014 items of interest:
Coachella 2014: Who do you think will play? (My early picks are Arcade Fire and Daft Punk)
Coachella 2014: Advance sale has ended
Coachella 2014: Dates, pre-sale ticket information announced

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+.

And now, the song that has been stuck in my head since the ‘Mats announced their reunion–“Alex Chilton.” I never travel far without a little Big Star.