Preliminary Band List

I like to have a plan when I go to a big music festival. I like to figure out what bands I'm interested in in advance, and rank them. This comes in handy if there are any conflicts, which does tend to happen (unfortunately), since there are 4 or 5 stages with performances going on all the time.

So, I thought it might be interesting to give my band list now, and then I'll give another one at the end of the month (right before the festival), at which point hopefully I will have listened to a lot of the other bands and my lists will have changed. So, without further ado, here are the bands I am most interested in seeing at Coachella this year:

Day 1:
1. Interpol - I really like both their albums and have never seen them live
2. Bjork - She's pretty much a legend. I can't say I listen to her that much, but she does have some songs that I absolutely love - 'Hyperballad' for one.
3. Jarvis Cocker - I liked Pulp very much. I really loved their album 'Different Class', though I didn't listen to it until way after the fact (2003). I have no idea what his solo stuff sounds like though. Hopefully it's like Pulp.
4. Jesus and Mary Chain - My first introduction to this band was through the Pixies, cause they covered the song 'Head On' on Trompe Le Monde. I love the Pixies, and if the Pixies covered the J&MC, then they must be good, right?
5. Arctic Monkeys - Um, I like that song about the dance floor that they play on the radio.

Day 2:
1. New Pornographers - Oh my god, I love this band! They play pretty much my favorite type of music, indie power pop rock. Their songs are so friggin catchy its ridiculous. Plus they are Canadian, and you know I LOVE everything Canadian. Most anticipated band of Coachella!
2. Blonde Redhead - Another one of my favorites. I've seen them live twice before, and they are awesome. Can't wait to see them again. I've got to check out their new album, is it out yet?
3. RHCP - I saw the Chili Peppers for the first time last fall, and they were great. I really love John Frusciante, he's probably my favorite guitarist these days. I've been meaning to check out his solo work but haven't gotten around to it. The rest of the band is good too (Flea especially has a lot of energy), but Frusciante is the draw for me.
4. Arcade Fire - Saw them at Coachella '05 and they were a pretty exciting band to see live. They have so many people running around onstage that it can get chaotic. I like their albums very much too. My favorite song is probably 'Headlights Look Like Diamonds'.
5. Decembrists - This band has an interesting style. Sometimes they seem like they're trying to be too smart though. I guess I like dumb hooks. I got one of their albums once and I really liked a couple songs off it, but never got into the album as a whole. I bet they're interesting live.
6. The Good, the Bad, and the Queen - Damon Albarn from Blur is in this super group, and I did love Blur, so they're probably worth checking out. But I haven't listened to their album at all yet.
7. Regina Spektor - I first heard of her through a commercial for the Microsoft Zune MP3 player (and no, I don't own one of those things). The song in the commercial was 'Us', and it's great. She's sort of cute and definitely Russian, so that's a plus. I haven't heard her new album yet.
8. The Rapture - These guys were at Coachella '04 or '05, and I bought their album back then. I didn't really like their album that much, but for whatever reason I listened to it A LOT. I think it was the only cd I had in my car for a month or something. So if there's nothing else going on, I'll probably check them out.

Day 3:
1. The Kooks - This is a pretty new British rock band. They've got some catchy songs. Nothing too original, but I dig them. See my review from yesterday.
2. Explosions in the Sky - These guys are interesting. I think their music is totally instrumental. I haven't listened to them very much, but I like what I've heard.
3. Kaiser Chiefs - Another nice British band.
4. Lily Allen - Nice voice, fun songs. I bet her performance will be pleasant.
5. Jose Gonzalez - I've heard this guy from listening to a local radio show, 'Hello Pretty City', on WRPI. I love that show, though I don't listen to it as much as I should. Anyway, the host of that show plays Jose Gonazalez a lot.
6. Willie Nelson - Now here is a legend. I can't say I'm too familiar with his work, but I hear he likes marijuana a lot.

Phew, so there you have it. I think Day 2 is shaping up to be my favorite by a long shot.