April 2007 Archives

Day two of Coachella ended grandly with people buzzing about the awesomeness of headliners like Arcade Fire and Red Hot Chili Peppers and lesser-known acts such as Hot Chip, and the festival continues today with the heralded return of Rage Against the Machine. Celebrity attendance is still abundant (favorite sighting last night - Adam Brody) and the debauchery is in full effect. At last night's afterparty at the Mod Resort, the bartenders disappeared at some point and civilians took over, leading to the invention of many new and potent drinks. Relaxation is the code word for the weekend. For more coverage and photos, check out LA.com here and here.

After the Chili Peppers' awesome set, the hipsters have retired to the Mod Resort in Palm Desert, where the second Lolita, Dominque Swain, continues to break hearts by jumping into the pool solo.

Two bands in a row have thanked the crowd fortheir good manners. May be a first for a group of Southern Californians.

The crowd is more excited about Arcade Fire coming on right now than I've seen yet. The band's opening video of a televangelist riling up a crowd of believers is an apt choice.

Kings of Leon just finished an amazing set, an hour of music that made even the most sunstroked Coachella-goer jump up and dance. The crowds briefly dispersed but are already gathering again in anticipation of Arcade Fire who, like Kings of Leon, are fantastic live.

It would be a mistake to think that Coachella ends each night with the last set on the main stage. The afterparties are actually where you'll find some of the best shenanigans. The Viceroy Palm Springs is hosting a weekend of parties thrown by GQ, and last night's was an excellent kickoff. The festivities began in earnest when a girl's hair caught on fire when she didn't notice the votive candle behind her. She didn't mind too much. That laidback attitude permeated the whole party (helped no doubt by the copious substances enjoyed by some guests), though careful orchestration was sometimes needed to maintain it. Kimberly Stewart, Lindsay Lohan, and the Hilton sisters were all there, but the three groups all studiously avoided each other. (See below for my up-close-and-personal encounter with Paris. Ouch.) Other minor celebrities (Simon Rex, Jodi Sweetin) mixed and mingled till the wee hours, before heading in to get some beauty rest before the festivities begin again today.

Tonight we learned a valuable lesson: never come between Paris Hilton and a reflective surface. She trampled over me on her way to a mirror at an afterparty at the Viceroy Palm Springs tonight, and bruised my toe even though I was wearing boots. She's surprisingly forceful.

As much as we love the communal aspect of the festival grounds, the VIP area really can't be beat. Couches, cocktails and, um, Cisco Adler. Hm. But also sushi!

It's hard to make out specific faces in the crowd, but we've managed to spot a few. Scott Speedman was seen wandering around the main gate looking confused, but not drawing too much attention to himself. As opposed to Jessica Alba, who was visible in the elevated backstage area at the Peaches show. Her mere presence caused a commotion, with people pledging their undying love to her. But our favorite shout was the unexpected "Jessica! Bacon strips! Whoooo!"

Stephen Marley is performing right now, putting people in a tie dye kind of mood. But chances are nobody listened to Bob while wearing Chanel belly button charms or shirts that said "Happiness is Punching You in the Face." But he would have argued for our right to do so. Hooray for progress!

The applause that erupted when Amy Winehouse took the stage had less to do with promptness than the fact that she showed up at all...her concert track record leaves much to be desired. Lucky for us she's in fine form tonight, though in slight danger of being upstaged by her perfectly choreographed backup singers. Not too much danger. The audience has started speaking with British accents. Such is the power and influence of Amy Winehouse.

Yes, that's a lot of C's in the headline, but Coachella deserves. The world's top music festival begins in Southern California today, and the Vinyl Word has it covered.

LA.com's Katherine Spiers will be blogging throughout the weekend, giving us the inside scoop on all the Coachella happenings. And our photographers will capture the festivities and post photo galleries, which you'll be able to find in the column on the right as soon as they're available.

So come back here all weekend for Coachella, Coachella and more Coachella.

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Mark Stuart of the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash

The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash are set to play Cozy's in Sherman Oaks Saturday, April 21 at 9:45pm.

The band founded by Mark Stuart a decade ago is no joke or tribute band. They play some fierce country music and were given the thumbs up by the Man in Black himself. Their latest album, "Mile Markers", is full of road music with songs like "Austin Night", "The Road to Bakersfield", and "California Sky." It is a rockin' country cd, with tons of energy and the juice to please many palates.

Stuart formed the band in San Diego and has spent a fair amount of time around the borders between Mexico, California and Texas. This should be a great show. Joe Bob says check it out.