Coachella Thoughts: Beyond Beyonce and Eminem

When the lineup for Coachella was released, there was some buzz about the changes in the lineup from years past. Yes, this year’s headliners follow the trend of “mainstream” pop appeal but that doesn’t mean Coachella should be dismissed.

I feel the festival scene in the United States is just following a trend already set by the music industry. Festivals are now more or less places to be seen, and people care more about making an appearance than they may about who is performing while they snap Instagram pictures.

The concept of the festivals as events is not necessarily a bad thing. I hate to admit it but the days of the old Gen X lineups have long past. Festivals now are about the event itself.

However, one should not dismiss all artists performing this

year as soulless mainstream hacks. In fact, after a little investigation one can find some genuine gems. With that here are five artists performing that are worth seeing.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Forever

Think dreamy surf rock that is in step with modern-day psychedelia. If you are a fan of The War On Drugs or Real Estate, you will like this Australian indie outfit.

Belly:

Warning this band may bring back some 90’s feels.
They actually reunited two years ago. Who knew?

Fidlar:

With an intoxicating array of punk and surf rock these guys are a fun time to be had for all.

A Perfect Circle:

For Tool fans (myself included) this may be as close as we get to a live performance or an album release this year.

David Byrne:

More than likely I think he is going to stick to his solo material. However, if we are lucky, we may see some Talking Heads songs and fingers crossed a giant suit!

 

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