Photos: Coachella 2007 Day 3

Photos by Anoulay Tsai; for Day 1, click here; for Day 2, click here

Sunday, April 29

The Crowd


Shade

Lupe Fiasco [Coachella Stage; 1:45 p.m.]

Tapes 'n Tapes [Mojave; 2:25 p.m.]

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Photos: Coachella 2007 Day 2

Photos by Anoulay Tsai; for Day 1, click here

Saturday, April 28

Water Break


Regina Spektor [Coachella Stage; 3:50 p.m.]




Hot Chip [Mojave; 4:10 p.m.]




The New Pornographers [Outdoor Theatre; 5:05 p.m.]

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Photos: Coachella 2007

Photos by Anoulay Tsai

How do you coax tens of thousands of air-conditioning-pampered people into the sweltering heat of the California desert for three days? For starters, treat them to an unbeatable smorgasbord of the finest live acts in existence-- including Arcade Fire, Björk, Sonic Youth, the Decemberists, LCD Soundsystem, the Roots, CSS, a reunited Jesus and Mary Chain (joined by Scarlett Johansson for "Just Like Honey", no less), and more.

For those left to experience Coachella from the comfort of their couch-ellas, however-- and for those whose sweat became one with the grounds of Empire Polo Field this past weekend-- we present a selection of photographs from the 2007 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Thanks for the memories, and stay tuned tomorrow for complete festival coverage.

Friday, April 27

Of Montreal [Outdoor Theatre; 4:55 p.m.]






Arctic Monkeys [Coachella Stage; 6:25 p.m.]

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Peter Bjorn and John Launch Tour This Weekend
They put a little money into travelin'

With their sticky, lip-pursing melodies on the tips of tongues worldwide, smashingly slick Swedes Peter Bjorn and John will attempt to fulfill all those newfound expectations on their globe-spanning tour that kicks off this weekend.

The paradoxically prolific Writer's Block-sufferers-- along with just about every other band on the planet worth a rip-- will camp out at Coachella before embarking on a few weeks of North American mirth, followed by a spottier string through their home-continent's festival season.

Those fine tax-gathering folks at NPR will--as they often do-- broadcast the PBJ set from DC's 9:30 Club on April 30 for your at-home listening pleasure. [MORE...]

Newsom, Cat Power, Waits, Bonnie, BoH Make Shortlist
Suck on that, Hush Sound!

The sixth annual Shortlist Music Prize-- awarded to artists whose small commercial ripples belie their wake-making creative waves-- has culled ten finalists from 61 of 2006's finest. From these, judges like Franz Ferdinand, Panic! at the Disco, and Wayne Coyne whittle it down to a winner next month, who'll pocket some dough and the knowledge that, nearly a year ago, they released an album both Sufjan Stevens and KT Tunstall can agree upon.

Here are the ten nod-getters:

Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go
Cat Power - The Greatest
Girl Talk - Night Ripper
Hot Chip - The Warning
Joanna Newsom - Ys
Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
Spank Rock - YoYoYoYoYo
Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards

Wait; this means Panic! at the Disco's been jamming to Will Oldham, doesn't it? Soak up what you can, chaps.

Roots' ?uestlove Harassed by DEA at Buffalo Airport

Exhibit Q in the case of very misguided cops v. innocent black Americans: Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, drummer and mastermind behind the Roots.

During a recent trip though the Buffalo airport, Thompson was detained, degraded, hassled, and humiliated by airport security, police, and Drug Enforcement Administration officers because of a large amount of cash he had on his person and his choice of wardrobe, according to Thompson's MySpace blog post from Monday.

Thompson had purchased his plane ticket close enough to departure time that his boarding pass was flagged for an extra security check. So far, so normal.

But because he had quite a bit of cash (some foreign) on him from recent DJ gigs and because the officers said he "fit the description [of a drug dealer] with [his] knitted Rastafarian hat," he had to put up with an hour of harassment best whittled down to its essence by ?uestlove himself:

"it was just so fucking degrading man. that is all i can describe it as. i'm sitting there like how am i gonna convince these guys that this dude with 30 dollar old navy jeans (white boy shit) and a 3000 dollar louis bag (nigga shit) and 5 figures in cash (white boy shit) and a coach seat (nigga shit) and a story of stadiums sold out across the world (nigga shit) but can't name a hit song of his (white boy shit) (and what the hell is you doing in buffalo of all places (white boy question) followed by my 'shrug' (nigga response). add on top of that my cd collection: the sly and the family stone box set and ladies of the canyon (joni mitchell) what kind of mofo is this? and 6 books all of connundrums and riddles?"

His entire account of the event is here, and it's worth a read.

Thompson was able to board his plane at the last minute, and he seems to have escaped with nothing more than some understandable paranoia. But still, the ignorance displayed by the questions of the officers involved is upsetting. Sing one of his songs? WTF? Cody ChesnuTT does that!

Exclusive: Mary Timony Band Tours Behind Shapes

In the school of indie rock, Mary Timony's got advanced degrees, having served time in Helium, Autoclave, and solo, and having put dissertations before the boards at Matador, Dischord, Lookout!, and soon, Kill Rock Stars.

Mary Timony's lastest-- as the Mary Timony Band, which includes Medications members Devin Ocampo on drums and Chad Molter on bass-- arrives May 8 via Timony's new home KRS. It's called The Shapes We Make, and features some studio wizardry courtesy of Ocampo (who produced), Jawbox's J. Robbins, and Mary herself. Watch Mary and Band defend this latest long-player on a series of U.S. dates beginning next month, with Joe Wong taking over for Ocampo on drums.

The Mary Timony Band's spring sojourn kicks off May 25 in Austin. Along the way, she'll be joined by the likes of some snotty freshmen like FatCat's Welcome, L.A. aviators Great Northern, angular-addicts the Joggers, and post-Q and Not U pop-savvy quartet Georgie James. [MORE...]

Frank Black Does Best Of, Plans LP as Black Francis
Tours Europe

Primary Pixie Frank Black will release his first "best of" compilation June 12 via Cooking Vinyl. Frank Black 93-03 will be a double-disc set covering material from 1993's self-titled solo debut through 2003's Catholics-supported disc Show Me Your Tears.

The first disc features 22 studio tracks in chronological order. The second is comprised of live versions recorded at late 2006 shows in Pittsburgh and Regina, Saskatchewan. Cooking Vinyl will release three different versions of the second disc, one each for the North American, European, and Japanese releases, and the European and Japanese versions of the compilation will come out June 4, a week before the North American edition.

Also featured on 93-03-- as a "hidden track" that will likely close out the first disc-- is a new song called "Threshold Apprehension", which is the first single from a forthcoming Frank Black album-- as Black Francis!-- titled Bluefinger. Black took inspiration for Bluefinger from 20th Century Dutch painter and musician Herman Brood, and he plans to release the album on Cooking Vinyl in September.

"Threshold Apprehension" will also have a separate single release outside of the compilation. It will be available for digital download May 7, and a limited edition 7"/digital download combo will make its way to indie rock fans on May 25.

Black and his band have a ton of European club and festival dates this summer, starting on June 15 in Interlaken, Switzerland. [MORE...]

Bat for Lashes Secures U.S. Release, NYC Show

British singer, songwriter, and multi- instrumentalist Natasha Khan, aka Bat for Lashes, is coming to America. Granted, she only has one tour date scheduled, for May 1, in the Unites States' biggest city, but it seems American fans of her brand of dark, arty pop music will just have to take what they can get for now.

Those fans will get more than just a lone tour date in New York City, though, as Khan has inked a deal with Caroline Records to bring her enchanting little debut record, Fur & Gold, to the U.S. on July 31. Vinyl heads get it first, as a limited edition of Fur on LP arrives Stateside May 15 via Manimal Vinyl.

Khan's summer dates are still pretty substantial, thanks to the fact that she is playing about half of the hundreds of thousands of British festivals in existence. Or nine. [MORE...]

Califone, Andrew Bird, Kozelek on Trials Soundtrack
Plus: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, M. Ward, Dälek, Portastatic, Dead Prez, Ras Kass

Califone, Andrew Bird, Mark Kozelek, and Portastatic will contribute exclusive tracks to the forthcoming soundtrack for the HBO documentary The Trials of Darryl Hunt, alongside more familiar tunes from M. Ward and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

The soundtrack, out August 7 via Young American, also features hip-hoppers Dead Prez, Dälek, Ras Kass, and the Last Poets making headway within the rock-heavy lineup. And you thought you were the only one who thought Dead Prez and Califone nestle up nice on your mix CDs.

The Trials of Darryl Hunt-- featuring an original score by NYC songwriter Paul Brill-- documents Hunt's conviction of the murder of newspaper reporter Deborah Sykes, his two-decade long imprisonment, and eventual exoneration by DNA evidence. The film, which premiered last night on HBO, will receive a theatrical release this summer, and a DVD hits stores October 16 via THINKFilm. Net proceeds from the soundtrack's sale will go to the Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice, which aims to protect wrongly convicted and imprisoned individuals like Hunt. [MORE...]

Photos: Bright Eyes [Omaha, NE; 04/26/07]

Photos by Paparazzi by Appointment

While Bright Eyes' big spring tour apparently got off to rocky/rockstar start in Milwaukee this past weekend-- with a visibly intoxicated Conor Oberst stumbling around the stage and haphazardly tossing his guitars and himself into the audience, according to numerous YouTube-corroborated reader reports-- it seems Conor found his footing for last night's gig in his Omaha hometown.

According to Laura at Paparazzi by Appointment, this show at the Holland Performing Arts Center went off without incident, featuring a full band and string section adorned in white, with specially-made projected visuals by local artist Joey Lynch. Bright Eyes' tour in support of the just-released Cassadaga (Saddle Creek) continues tomorrow in Denver.

YACHT to Play on Actual Yacht, Expands Tour
Train to play on actual train, but nobody cares

Yacht rock has never been better: Portland lo-fi electro-pop prince and Blow half Jona Bechtolt, aka YACHT, has delivered on his promise to rock an actual yacht in celebration of the release of I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real., out May 8 via Marriage Records.

On Cinco de Mayo-- known in some circles as May 5-- Bechtolt, his trusty skipper, and a cluster of lucky landlubbers will board the S.S. Crystal Dolphin (no joke) and cast off down PDX's Willamette River, destination: party time. No, but seriously, the destination is cooler than any old house party: it's the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI). I mean, indie dance party field trip, how sick is that?

Joining YACHT aboard the Crystal Dolphin are Bobby Birdman and the Juice Team DJs, while DJ Beyonda, E*Rock, and Thanksgiving's Adrian Orange (and the Child Slave Rebellion) will demonstrate the science of making your booty shake at the museum. YACHT performs at each unique locale, and part of his museum set will feature a live band.

While the rest of the irony/meta-hungry indie world is no doubt envious of this YACHT on yacht action, rest assured: YACHT might just be coming to a land-locked venue in your town. Dude's quest continues May 11 in San Francisco, and continues when he docks in L.A. May 12 for an Anticon-affiliated art opening at Unitard. It don't stop until he hits Japan in July.

In related news, YACHT thinks your Flickr page sux. (Thanks to alert reader Rob Jansen for the tip!) [MORE...]

Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently? Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity. (Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.)