My Picks, Conflicts, and Predicts of Coachella: Day Two

DAY 2: Heads up first timers - It's a completely different ball game than Day 1. You might be feeling a little shaky & confused, but you should probably grab a water & some ibuprofen before you think about diving back into the shenanigans. This is where the art of rallying comes in handy. Most festival attendees tend to overdo it on the first day, and find themselves in struggle mode on Day 2, but NOT YOU! (You know better than that because you're reading this beforehand.)

Don't forget to charge your phone as well as the backup battery (and the backup backup battery because you'll need every single percent when you get lost on your way back to camp.) If you have an iPhone, I highly suggest in eventually buying a Mophie battery case. It's handy, and totally worth the $$. Otherwise you can snag a 2600 mAh Power Bank for a really low price on Amazon (they're a total lifesaver.)
 This is definitely the day with the most acts I'd want to see. Catch me running from stage to stage if it gets down to that. I've done it before & i'll do it again.

My Picks:
Drowners
Syd Arthur
The Magician
Blood Orange
The Internet
Galantis
Netsky
Holy Ghost!
Bombay Bicycle Club
Tiga
BANKS
Darkside
Future Islands
Temples
Dillon Francis
CHVRCHES
The Head and The Heart
Fatboy Slim
Sleigh Bells
Lorde
Skrillex

Who I refuse to miss: Future Islands, Temples, Dillon Francis, and Bombay Bicycle Club. I've waited years to see Future Islands, and had finally planned on doing so when they played at the Center of the Arts Eagle Rock back in February - but when it falls on a best friends' birthday I had to sell my ticket to one lucky stranger via StubHub (you're welcome.)
I'll be making my way bright & early to catch Psychedelic UK outfit Syd Arthur.  Dillon Francis is one of two artists this year that's on back-to-back lineups (can you guess the other one?) His set last year on the updated Sahara Stage was one of my favorite sets from last year, and I'll definitely be making my way for round 2. (Listen to his set from this year's ULTRA Music Festival here.)

Predictions: Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange) & Solange will not perform "Losing You" together. Either Muse or QOTSA will close out the main stage while Pharrell Williams will bring onstage at least a handful of artists (Snoop is that you?) Also, Sleigh Bells will blow out several eardrums from the next tent over, so if you plan on catching the Brooklyn duo - invest in some earplugs unless you don't care to hear anything for the rest of your life. P.S. I'll totally be there.

Conflicts:  Every act on the 4th row are on my must see list for the most part, even Solange who made a bright cameo during The XX's set last year. Two I would pick from the line? Future Islands & Bombay Bicycle Club. I'm so excited that this is the 1st year BBC made it on the lineup, and they never fail to amaze me with their talent. You won't lose with either of the two, I guarantee it. 
Once the daily schedule is released, I'm sure I'll find a few more conflicts -_-

3 acts I'm looking forward to seeing for the 1st time: The Internet, Future Islands, and Temples

Who I'm Skipping On: MGMT, Empire of the Sun, and Nas. I'm completely burnt out on all 3 of them, and my first experience with both MGMT & EOTS were rather.... well, boring. I'd love to see DARKSIDE which is the co-ed love child of Nicolas Jaar & Dave Harrington, and as much as I really appreciate Psychic as a body of art, I'd rather pay the $$ to see them not in a festival setting. Who knows, maybe they'll be graced with a night slot?



 My favorite Day 2 acts from the past:
Paul Van Dyk (2011)
Steve Angello (2011)
Fedde Le Grand (2011)
Martin Solveig (2012)
Feist (2012)
Miike Snow (2012)
Kaskade (2012)
Radiohead (2012)
Ben Howard (2013)
Foals (2013)
The Postal Service (2013)
Hot Chip (2013)

LYED SXSW 2014 Wish List

South By Southwest (SXSW) is one of the best places to discover new & rising talent - or see Lady Gaga perform at the Doritos stage? Either way, if you make your way to Austin, Texas this year - you're bound to witness events that are equal parts weird & amazing. Last year was a great experience for me personally, and definitely opened up my eyes to more than what I had imagined SXSW to be. All I have to say is: be prepared to run around (aka wear comfortable shoes) & always have a few extra backup plans because as the week goes on - the crowd multiplies and you might not get to see who you originally wanted to. If that has to happen - look at the bright side, take a chance and go see someone relatively *new* or venture to one of the smaller venues for a showcase, because you'll never know if you'll see those artists in such a small setting ever again. 
This year I'll only be there from 03/14-03/16 (Friday-Sunday) but if I was going to be there for the entire Music portion of the fest, here's who I'd definitely make plans to see! (Cross your fingers I'll get to see the ones who are still playing shows while I'm there.) 

My SXSW Wish List
(in no particular order)

1. Torres
Learn more about this talented singer-songwriter from when I first fell in love with her back in September.

2. Future Islands

3. Tomas Barfod 

03/15 HYPE HOTEL - ISO50 + No Fear of Pop (1pm)

 After reading that Nina Kinert will also be at SXSW this year, I hope the two of them perform a bit together since Nina supplies most of the vocals on Barfod's well-known tracks. 

4. Chela

5. Scavenger Hunt
(SH was one of my favorite finds from 2013, and you can check out their Friday Fascination feature here!)

6. Painted Palms

7. The Casket Girls

8. Young Summer

(Stumbling upon Young Summer was a real treat, check out her FF feature on the blog here!)
03/12: The Iron Bear - 121 W 8th St, Austin, TX (9pm)


9. Wye Oak

03/12: Hype Machine + Consequence of Sound @ Hype Hotel (4pm)
03/13: KUTX Austin @ Four Seasons Hotel Austin (10am)
03/13: Merge Records Official Showcase @ The Parish(11:45pm)
03/14: KEXP + Merge Records 25th Anniversary @ Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop (12pm)
03/14: The A.V. Club Rainey Day Party @ The Blackheart(4pm)


10.Temples
(This UK psychedelic band won my ears over last summer, and it wasn't long before I had to feature them on the blog.)

03/13: South By San Jose (3pm)
03/14: SPIN Day Party (1:30-2pm)

11. Panama

12. Wolf Alice
03/14 All Things Go + Indie Shuffle Showcase @Maggie Mae's Rooftop (11pm)
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/all-things-go-indie-shuffle-sxsw-2014-showcase-tickets-10820431201

If you're on the hunt for finding more artists, check out this: THE AUSTIN 100: A SXSW 2014 Mix for NPR or Showlist Austin.
Hope everyone has a great time in ATX!  xx -Emz

Friday Fascination: Temples

Temples are a neo-psychedelic band from the Midlands (England) and don't let the flowers fool you - this band kicks a**. Did this group crawl straight out of the 60's? No, but it sure sounds like they did. Temples have released a handful of impressive singles since making their debut in the fall of last year with "Shelter Song." 

Click here to watch Temples play "Colours To Life" live as apart of a CTRL in Situ session for Topman.

Temples' most recent release "Mesmerise" is an immediate favorite in my book, and has me very excited for the future. Their debut album Sun Structures will be released 02/10/2014 via HEAVENLY RECORDINGS. Preorder it here!  

In the meantime, head over to their SoundCloud page to hear more music from Temples, you won't regret it.