Coachella Lite

Coachella just announced the official lineup. The first thing that stands out: Paul McCartney? Another out of touch artist tries to use Coachella as a comeback kickoff, a la Madonna a few years ago. I would rather he show up and play an acoustic set in a tent rather than try to claim headliner status.

Glad to see SD represented by the excellent Night Marchers. I'm intrigued by Patton & Rahzel, Glasvegas, Los Campesinos!, Okkervil River and what exactly is Shepard Fairey doing? But is there a bona fide, cant'-miss headliner? I don't think so. I'm hoping a bunch of bands swing through SD before or after, so we get to check the bands without the dust, heat and crowds (and high tix prices). And I get to sleep in my own bed. Wait, I'm starting to sound old and boring. I hope they add a Wilco/Pixies/Jane's Addiction/Smiths/Led Zepp-type of band, or maybe a couple so I want to go this amazing festival in the desert. Do the organizers really think The Killers can headline Saturday night?

Here it is:

FRIDAY APRIL 17: Paul McCartney, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Beirut, The Black Keys, Girl Talk, Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings, The Crystal Method, Ghostland Observatory, Crystal Castles, The Airborne Toxic Event, We Are Scientists, N.A.S.A., Patton & Rahzel, M. Ward, The Presets, The Hold Steady, A Place to Bury Strangers, Felix da Housecat, Buraka Som Sistema, Ryan Bingham, Bajofondo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Noah & the Whale, White Lies, The Bug, Alberta Cross, Los Campesinos!, Craze & Klever, Molotov, Switch, Gui Boratto, Steve Aoki, The Aggrolites, People Under the Stairs, The Courteeners, Cage the Elephant, Dear and the Headlights.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18: The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Thievery Corporation, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Atmosphere, Mastodon, TRAV$DJ-AM, Henry Rollins, Crookers, Turbonegro, Hercules and Love Affair, Superchunk, Glasvegas, Dr. Dog, Drive-By Truckers, Booker T & the DBT’s, Amanda Palmer, The Bloody Beetroots, Surkin, Para One (Live), Calexico, Liars, Bob Mould Band, Zane Lowe, Electric Touch, Blitzen Trapper, James Morrison, Drop the Lime, Glass Candy, Thenewno2, Gang Gang Dance, Billy Talent, Ida Maria, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Zizek, Cloud Cult, Tinariwen.

SUNDAY, APRIL 19: The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Throbbing Gristle, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Weller, Peter Bjorn and John, X, Antony & the Johnsons, Roni Size, Public Enemy, Jenny Lewis, Groove Armada, Paolo Nutini, Christopher Lawrence, Lykke Li, The Kills, Okkervil River, M.A.N.D.Y., Clipse, Sebastien Tellier, Fucked Up, Perry Farrell, The Horrors, Late of the Pier, K’naan, Junior Boys, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Supermayer, No Age, Vivian Girls, Shepard Fairey, Themselves, Gaslight Anthem, The Knux, Mexican Institute of Sound, The Night Marchers, Marshall Barnes.

Tickets for COACHELLA go on sale Friday, January 30 at 9:00 AM (PT) at all Ticketmaster locations. Three-day weekend passes are $269.00 +$3 charity + $9 facility fee ($1 charity/$3 facility fee per day) and single day tickets are $99.00 +$1 charity + $3 facility fee. The same layaway plan that Goldenvoice successfully implemented for STAGECOACH: California’s Country Music Festival will be available for weekend passes ONLY for this year’s COACHELLA. Festival goers now have the option to purchase 3-day festival tickets and onsite camping tickets on a payment plan.

Eyes on the horizon: SD spotlight shows

Here are a couple of San Diego shows I'm looking forward to in the near future:

Ozomatli with Chali 2na
Three nights at the Belly Up
Why it's important: Reuniting with MC Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) represents a much-needed return to this seminal SoCal rock en espanol band's roots.
Show: Jan. 22-24

Devotchka
Totally rocked Street Scene last year
Belly Up
Why it's important: Great songwriting embedded in Eastern European and mariachi desert noir bittersweet music
Show: Feb. 4

The Bird and the Bee
Inara George (Lowell George's daughter) sings sweet indie pop with Greg Kurstin (Geggy Tah)
The Casbah
Why it's important: One of the freshest voices in indie pop
Show: Feb. 5

Andrew Bird
My favorite singer songwriter from the past few years
SOMA
Why it's important: Multi-faceted classical musician skilled with violin, guitar, voice and his world-class whistling skills
Show: Feb. 15

Hank Williams III
A REAL maverick
4th&B
Why it's important: Master of all styles country from traditional twang to hellbilly, 'III' is touring on a new album
Show: Feb. 24

M-A-C-E-O: Shake Everything You Got

Let's stay on the funk tip and hang with Mr. Maceo Parker for a while. This clip features "Shake Everything You Got," a Maceo staple recorded for a live DVD titled "My First Name is Maceo." This is a great clip with the original Horny Horns (James Brown's legendary horn section): Fred Wesley on trombone (giving an amazing solo that sounds like butter sliding off hot mashed potatoes), Pee Wee Ellis on tenor and Maceo on alto. I believe this was filmed in '94 (as proven by Maceo's abundance of hair and sideburns). Maceo's brand of funk is much more subtle than JB's, slowly evolving through long jams to create a feeling. I always crack a smile when I listen to live Maceo:



I was sniffing around the Interweb when I came across this bio of Maceo (which happens to quote yours truly):

http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003969/Maceo-Parker.html

Here's the quote:

Throughout the 1990s, Parker continued to tour, record, and collaborate. Parker told Chris Nixon of the San Diego Union-Tribune, "I still love the work, I love my job and I love the people. At the same time, it gets a few bills paid as well."

Here's the article I wrote:

http://chrisnix.blogspot.com/2004/01/father-of-funk-sax-and-ghostly-country.html

I'll try to post a few soundclips from the interview in the next day or two.

Lastly, a non-music related note. My wife and I are attempting our second half marathon next Sunday in Carlsbad. I think our training looked a little something like this:

Video du jour: Godfather teaches you his moves

I love this kitschy little clip of James hamming it up for the camera.

Here's another JB clip I love:



That's JB at the Olympia in Paris circa 1971. Bootsy Collins on bass, Bobby Byrd on organ, and that's a ripping trombone solo by Fred Wesley. The only thing that could make this better is a hot Maceo solo (but he wasn't on this date). Awesome, awesome band at their peak.