Name: Of Montreal
Genre: Indie
Day: Friday

Wikipedia sez: “of Montreal is an American indie pop band formed in Athens, Georgia, fronted by Kevin Barnes. It was among the second wave of groups to emerge from the Elephant Six Collective. The band was created by Kevin Barnes (and named after a failed romance with a woman from Montreal). Barnes was the only member of the “group” prior to his relocation to Athens, Georgia. There, he met Derek Almstead, later of the Circulatory System, M Coast, Elf Power, etc., and Bryan Poole, who also performs as The Late B.P. Helium.”

I really got excited when I listened to the first of Montreal song on the Coachella music player (Suffer For Fashion), because instantly it hit me. It’s new wave! But with with live guitars! Then I listened to a few other of their songs and found that I had just lucked out on one track. of Montreal are odd because you feel good listening to their upbeat tunes (think Dressy Bessy) but once you start paying attention to what lead singer Kevin Barnes is actually singing you realize how gloomy his lyrics actually are. It’s okay, but not for me.

Likelyhood of Seeing at Coachella: Not for me.

Read on to view of Montreal live videos…

Read the rest of this entry »

Name: Noisettes
Genre: Indie
Day: Friday

Wikipedia sez: “Noisettes are an indie rock band from London comprising singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa, guitarist Dan Smith, and drummer Jamie Morrison. They recorded their debut EP Three Moods of The Noisettes during this time, which was released in April 2005 on London indie label Side Salad Records. This led to signing internationally with Universal Music Group, who released the EP in the US on the Low Altitude imprint. Their next single, “Iwe” was released via the Transgressive label, followed by “Scratch Your Name” on Mercury/Side Salad Records; since then all releases have been on the Vertigo Records label.”

I think I can safely say that Noisettes wouldn’t get the attention they get if it wasn’t for the quirky voice of lead singer Shingai Shoniwa, because if it was a dude singing for ‘em they would be even more forgettable then they are now. Thanks to the blow up of English indie a lot of bands have got attention - some good, some bad, some average, and Noisettes fill the average group out thanks to their bland, inoffensive rock tunes. There are plenty of artists to spend time on at Coachella, so I won’t bother with these three.

Likelyhood of Seeing at Coachella: Nah.

Read on to view Noisettes live videos…

Read the rest of this entry »

Name: Nickel Creek
Genre: Country
Day: Friday

Wikipedia sez: “Nickel Creek is a Grammy Award-winning American acoustic music trio with roots in bluegrass, which is now sometimes described as “progressive bluegrass” or “progressive acoustic.” The band is composed of three permanent members: Chris Thile (mandolin), Sara Watkins (violin), and her brother Sean Watkins (guitar). The band’s fourth guest member has been less permanent, although he is always a dynamic part of their performance. This position is currently filled by Mark Schatz (string bass), and it has previously been filled by Scott Thile, Edgar Meyer, Byron House, and Robert Trujillo. Over the band’s three official albums, Nickel Creek’s musical style seems to have shifted from contemporary bluegrass to the incorporation of indie rock elements, covering songs by Radiohead, Pavement, Elliott Smith, Bob Dylan, and even Toxic by Britney Spears, which has become a crowd favorite at their shows. However, the core influence of bluegrass remains evident in all three albums.”

I lost count of how many versions of the Toxic cover I found on YouTube. It’s a cute version too, but at the end of the day it’s forgettable like most covers. Nickel Creek make bluegrass music, nice peaceful sounding music that you could fall asleep to at times (Tommorow is a Long Time) or get fired up and dance with a partner to (The Fox). I don’t mind the odd country track at all, but with so many acts that I already want to see on Friday, I doubt I will want to see country’s version of Me First & The Gimmie Gimmies perform at Coachella.

Likelyhood of Seeing at Coachella: Probably not.

Read on to view Nickel Creek live videos…

Read the rest of this entry »