It’s always a little disappointing when, every year, the Coachella lineup is announced and there’s only one or two acts with San Diego ties. Don’t get us wrong -- we love that we are represented at all, but given that the music festival seems to take place nearly in our back yard, we wish some of the excellent bands in our vibrant scene would get an invite.
And that got us thinking: Out of all the stellar bands here, which ones could be playing Coachella? Well, our picks are below. As always, this was a tough list to put together and could have easily been filled out with a ton of other great local artists. Who do you think should be playing the great gig in the desert? Let us know in the comments below.
- Griever: Metal isn’t represented in a big way at the annual Indio music festival, but that needs to change. Why shouldn’t it be? And who better to usher in that change than the Escondido-based hardcore metal band Griever. We never knew North County had this kind of beastliness lurking about.
- Ilya: Back from a seven-year hiatus, one of San Diego’s finest post-rock bands with a flair for haunting vocals and beautiful atmospherics just released its new album, In Blood (watch our recent SoundDiego Spotlight segment with the band here). We were left stunned at their April 5 record-release show at the Irenic -- and have a feeling Indio audiences would be, as well.
- Little Hurricane: With its new album, Gold Fever, due out April 29, this retro blues rock duo would have been a perfect fit for this year’s lineup. We were actually surprised when they weren't on the flyer.
- Northern Tigers: Do yourself a favor and listen to Northern Tiger’s infectious garage-pop single "So What" right now and try not to become addicted. Just try it -- we double-dog dare you. Afterward, let us know which stage the Tigers should be playing. We’re going with the Gobi Tent.
- Off!: When you’re not traipsing around that polo field in the desert, looking for $10 water or waiting to see a hotly anticipated buzz band, sometimes you just want to let loose in the most basic way possible. Bring the Off! punk quartet to the festival’s main stage and prepare to lose your s---.
- Schitzophonics: If you’ve seen guitarist/singer Pat Beers perform at a Schitzophonics show, you have most likely had your mind blown by his guitar histrionics. If they were to ever play Coachella, you’d hear the sound of 50,000 hipster heads exploding (also, read the SoundDiego Record Club review of the band's new single here).
- Tom Waits: Every year, there are rumors that Waits has finally signed on the play at the Empire Polo Club -- and, every year, we're let down. Quite frankly, if the growling, gravelly voiced singer/songwriter ever does show up, the place would become even more of a circus than it already is. His fans would go nuts.
- Dum Dum Girls: How this beloved New Wave/garage-pop band led by the inimitable Dee Dee Penny has never played the festival is beyond us. What’s that? They’ll be there this year? Well, hey, at least we got one!
Here's a few of the other lists we've put together:
