Coachella Band Preview: Big Wild, Jai Wolf, & Alex G

We’re edging closer and closer to Weekend 1 as the countdown continues to April 14th. I’m currently just relaxing at home getting ready for the big month ahead in the desert. This week I’m previewing three artists, two of which I once previewed in anticipation of the 2020 installation of the festival that never saw the light of day. The other I got into during peak quarantine season in 2020. All three artists didn’t make the 2022 lineup so they’re getting another crack at Coachella in 2023. The first of those is electronic artist Big Wild.

As I mentioned, I previewed Big Wild back in February 2020. Here is that blog in case you wanted to check out some background info on Jackson Stell, aka Big Wild. Since then, the electronic artist has released a sophomore record The Efferusphere along with several singles. 2020 was supposed to be Big Wild’s Coachella lineup debut, but now that’s happening this spring. He did appear at the Do Lab in 2016, but since those performances are usually announced during the festival weekend or are surprises, he truly never made the Coachella lineup. However, over the last two years, Big Wild has made several other festival appearances including sets at Lollapalooza, Firefly, Austin City Limits, and Electric Forest among others. He plays Sunday at Coachella and I’ll be damned if we don’t get a sunset set from him. I would bet he either plays at Sahara, Mojave, or Outdoor Theatre. I know that’s a terrible prediction, but I can literally see him performing on almost any Coachella stage and it’ll be a good time. His sound fits the festival so well and his set is sure to create a big mood. Here’s a few vibey songs you’re gonna want to know before seeing him Sunday:

1. 6’s to 9’s
2. OMGarden
3. Aftergold
4. Touch
5. Purple Sand (My Home)
6. Awaken
7. Joypunks
8. When I Get There
9. Show Me
10. Venice Venture

Jai Wolf is the second electronic artist I previewed for Coachella back in 2020. Much like Big Wild, he was slated to appear that year, didn’t play last spring, and is now getting a chance to come back in 2023. If you’d like some more background on Jai Wolf, check out this Coachella 2020 preview. Since 2020, he’s only released a few new singles and remixes. However last year, he became the first artist from Bangladesh to ever sell out the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Jai Wolf plays Sunday as well. I’m expecting a late afternoon-early evening Sahara set from him that I know I’ll wanna catch. Here’s the songs I’ve been listening to in preparation:

1. Indian Summer
2. Starlight
3. Moon Rider (ft. Wrabel)
4. Lose My Mind (ft. Mr. Gabriel)
5. We Will Meet Again
6. Better Apart (ft. Dresage)
7. Telepathy
8. Lost (ft. Chelsea Jade)
9. Like It’s Over (ft. MNDR)
10. The World is Ours

The last artist I want to spotlight this week is indie artist, Alex G. I wrote a pretty long post about him in May 2020. At the time I felt like if Coachella happened that year I would have been bummed I didn’t know about him sooner because I started listening to his music that spring. Since May 2020, the artist who used to go by (Sandy) Alex G, changed his stage name back to Alex G, released his ninth studio album God Save the Animals, and also scored the soundtrack to the coming-of-age horror film We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. Like the others, Alex G also plays Sunday. It’s also his first Coachella. I’m expecting his set to be mid-afternoon at either Gobi or Mojave. His set will be just what you need for some lo fi, indie rock feels. Here are a few of his songs to get you ready for his set:

1. Runner
2. Gretel
3. Treehouse (ft. Emily Yacina)
4. Mary
5. Advice
6. Sarah
7. 16 Mirrors
8. Blessing
9. Change
10. Bobby

I’m glad we’ll finally get another chance to hear these three great artists at Coachella. As I mentioned it will be Alex G’s first Coachella and Big Wild’s first as an artist on the lineup, while Jai Wolf has not played the festival since 2017. I’m expecting great Sunday sets from all three artists. I hope to be able to see each of them and I’m also hoping they don’t overlap because who knows. I’ll prepare like I will be seeing all of them though because after all there are two weekends! I’ll catch you on the polo fields on the final day of Coachella for all the vibes that Big Wild, Jai Wolf, and Alex G have to offer.

Coachella Band Preview: MUNA

As we roll into February, we’re a little over two months away from the first weekend of Coachella 2023. If you haven’t already, you should probably book your flights, hotels, airbnbs, rental cars, and whatever else you might need for a weekend in the Coachella Valley. I’ve been thinking about what to wear this year and I’m also trying to listen to some of the bands and artists playing this year’s installment of the festival. One band who I really hope I’m able to catch is indie pop trio, MUNA.

MUNA formed in 2013 while all three members, Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson were in school together at USC. In 2014, they released their debut EP More Perfect on Bandcamp and SoundCloud. Their success from the EP lead to a record deal with RCA records (US) and Columbia Records (UK). Their first EP under RCA, Loudspeaker, came out in 2016 with their debut album About U following in 2017. It included hits “I Know A Place” and “Winterbreak.” Their early years after signing to a major label brought tours with Grouplove and Harry Styles as well as festival appearances.

Their second album, Saves the World, was released in September 2019 and included a tour in support of the album. In 2021, MUNA signed with Phoebe Bridgers’ record label Saddest Factory. Under their new label they released the single “Silk Chiffron” in collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers and their third full length album MUNA. In addition to Coachella this year, the band is playing spring tour dates around the country.

I tried to get into MUNA several years ago, when there was huge hype over the song “I Know A Place.” It wasn’t hitting for me then but as I’ve been listening to the band the past several days, I’m finally getting more into them. I did fall in love with their Knocks collaboration song “Bodies” in late 2020. It was one of my favorites during that sad, miserable year. Their style is a mix of electro, indie, and synth pop. I feel like I should have been listening to them for years, but I have known about them for quite some time. I’ve attempted to listen to them it just hasn’t worked out. Better late than never!

Now they’re headed to Indio this spring and I’m crossing my fingers I’ll be able to catch their set. Friday sets are always hit or miss for me with my current job at the festival. I can usually only catch sets that happen after 8:30-9 p.m. I have this feeling like MUNA might be on deck for a sunset set though on either Mojave, Gobi, or Outdoor. This will be their first time playing Coachella. I suspect Phoebe Bridgers might make an appearance, given boygenius slated to perform Saturday. Here’s a few songs you need to prep for their Coachella set:

1. I Know A Place
2. Bodies
3. Silk Chiffron
4. Number One Fan
5. Anything But Me
6. Winterbreak
7. Loudspeaker
8. What I Want
9. Stayaway
10. So Special

Coachella Band Preview: Lost Kings, Flume, Emo Nite, Maggie Rogers, & Hayden James

In exactly one month, the 21st installment of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival begins in Indio, California at the Empire Polo Club, 81-800 Avenue 51. It’s all come down to this. One month left in the almost 36 month wait, once all is said and done. Since I returned from Mexico, I’ve been listening to my Coachella 2022 playlist almost every day. Over the last several Coachellas since I attended in 2015, the lineup has strayed away from my music interests. What was once a largely indie rock festival now spans across genres. My music interests have developed as well. I mean I was someone who never step foot in the Sahara tent in 2015. Coachella has become a festival of music discovery for me. There’s usually a good handful of artists I know and at least listen to on the lineup, but in recent years I’ve felt like I’ve used Coachella to become more interested in artists I don’t listen to as much or to discover new artists entirely. It’s broadened my interest in Arkells, Kungs, Maggie Rogers, and Petit Biscuit, and has helped me to discover artists like Dermot Kennedy, Daft Punk (Couchella 2020 was a thing!), and Dillon Francis. This week though I’m highlighting a bunch of artists and one style of music I’ve known and have liked for a while.

The first artists on this list are Lost Kings, the electronic music duo who have been releasing music since 2014. I previewed them as part of the 2020 lineup before shit hit the fan, so you can check out that blog here for more info about the electronic deejays. Since 2020, they released a new EP It’s Not You, It’s Me in December 2021. The EP contains all of their singles released over 2020 & 2021. Lost Kings play Friday to kick off the weekend and I’ll bet you’ll catch them and their progressive house style music sometime in the afternoon at the Sahara tent. These are some of the songs you’ll wanna know before you catch their set:

1. Phone Down
2. Oops (I’m Sorry)
3. When We Were Young
4. Don’t Kill My High
5. First Love
6. Anti-Everything
7. You
8. Stuck
9. Look At Us Now
10. Don’t Call

Flume is no stranger to this blog. Since 2016, I’ve considered Flume one of my favorite electronic artists. In fact, Flume, also known as Harley Streton, was the first deejay to get me into electronic music. I may have liked a song or two before that point, but I really found an interest in most of Flume’s music after listening to some of his tracks before volunteering at and attending Sweetlife Music Festival in 2016. Flume was also supposed to play Coachella in 2020. Read that preview here. It would have been his third appearance, but thankfully he’s back on the lineup in 2022 and will be making his third appearance this year instead. Prior to what would have been Coachella 2020, Flume released his track “The Difference” ft. Toro y Moi. He’s dropped a few remixes since, but released a brand new single, “Say Nothing” ft. MAY-A, a few weeks ago. Flume will be dropping a new album, Palaces, in May and I anticipate Coachella will probably get some new tunes as a result. Flume plays Saturday night and I would suspect he’ll be moving to the Main Stage this time around. His 2016 set was at Outdoor Theatre. These are the Flume songs you should be listening to so you’re ready for Saturday night in Indio:

1. The Difference
2. Say Nothing
3. Rushing Back
4. Never Be Like You
5. Say It
6. Holdin’ On
7. Sleepless
8. Drop the Game
9. Insane
10. Smoke & Retribution

When the 2020 lineup came out, I was both stoked and intrigued to see Emo Nite listed as an act for the festival. For someone who grew up listening to emo bands and who has attended a few emo nights, I’ve never actually been to the official Emo Nite that started them all. I’m excited to finally see what this is all about at Coachella and who makes an appearance at the festival. Here is the Emo Nite preview I wrote in 2020. Emo Nite is slated for Saturday at Coachella 2022. I would anticipate it to be at one of the smaller stages like Gobi or Mojave. It may even be at Sonora, which would would be the perfect setting for Emo Nite as an all enclosed air conditioned space where everyone can mosh freely. Although it’s kind of tough to prepare for Emo Nite because there’s tons of emo music, here are a few staples that have a good chance of being played:

1. I’m Not Okay (I Promise) -My Chemical Romance
2. Dear Maria, Count Me In -All Time Low
3. Misery Business -Paramore
4. I Write Sins Not Tragedies -Panic! At the Disco
5. Sugar We’re Going Down -Fall Out Boy
6. The Best of Me -The Starting Line
7. Ocean Avenue -Yellowcard
8. MakeDamnSure -Taking Back Sunday
9. Hands Down -Dashboard Confessional
10. The Great Escape -Boys Like Girls

Coachella 2019 was the first time I saw Maggie Rogers perform. Honestly, I haven’t seen her since, but I’ve continued to listen to her since the last Coachella, one of my favorite festival experiences to date. Maggie Rogers was a small part of that because of her song “Back in My Body.” I became obsessed with the song while I was in Indio for three weeks and it was so cool to see her perform it live. The song now reminds me of that time in my life and working/being at Coachella. Since my preview of Maggie Rogers for the 2019 festival, she has released a new single, “Loved You For A Long Time,” and an album of old recordings, Notes from the Archives: Recordings 2011-2016. She’s recently been dropping mixtape EP’s with songs from both albums. A few weeks ago she reported that her latest album is done, but there’s no set release date as of yet. This makes me think she’ll be debuting a new song or two at Coachella. Maggie Rogers plays Sunday and I’ll be damned if she doesn’t play a sunset set at Main Stage or Outdoor Theatre. She played the Mojave tent in 2019 and it was far too small. I expect her to move up to a bigger stage just as her name moved up on the lineup. Here’s some Maggie Rogers songs you’ll want to know beforehand:

1. Alaska
2. Love You For A Long Time
3. Light On
4. Fallingwater
5. Back in My Body
6. Celadon & Gold
7. Burning
8. Give A Little
9. Say It
10. On + Off

My first exposure to Hayden James came in 2018 during EDC Las Vegas. If you’ve following my blog in the past few years, you’d know his song “Numb” became my top listened to song of 2018 too. Like many of the artists I mentioned before, he was slated to play Coachella in 2020 and now returns for 2022. I had the chance to preview him two years ago, since I was just as stoked to see him perform again then as I am now. Since 2020, the Australian deejay has released a handful of singles and a DJ mix. He’s also put out so much more music since I last saw him perform in 2018 at Electric Forest. I can’t wait to have the chance to watch him again. He plays Sunday at Coachella, and I can bet you’ll catch him at the Sahara tent. I’m predicting a late afternoon, early evening set. It might even be a sunset set. Here’s some old and new songs you’ll wanna check out before heading to his Sunday show:

1. Something About You
2. Numb
3. Just Friends
4. Foolproof
5. Rather Be With You
6. Hold Tight
7. On Your Own
8. Waiting For Nothing
9. Better Together
10. Just A Lover

These five Coachella 2022 acts have all been part of this blog at one point or another, whether they were previewed for 2020 or played in the past. The thing they all have in common though is that if I already previewed them once, then I like them and I’m hyped to see them play. I’ve been listening to all these artists for the past week, along with many others I’ve already previewed. Time is winding down. Dust off your flower crowns because before you know it, we’ll be back. Coachella will be back. The vibes, the tunes, the fashion, the art, the food, the sunsets, the views, and everything else you love about Coachella will be here before you know it. Get ready and keep listening. We’re almost there!

Coachella Band Preview: FINNEAS

From the day after the last Coachella ended in April 2019 until now, I’ve been waiting to go back. Obviously March 2020 put a huge damper on the yearly spring tradition, and since then it’s just been a waiting game. I spent so many times thinking about Coachella, looking at pictures, and wondering what the day would be like when I finally get to go back and hoping by then it would be a normal Coachella. Now here we are, I leave for Coachella in just under a month and the festival begins in 5 weeks tomorrow. 1,090 days since the last Coachella once Day 1 Weekend 1 2022 hits. It’s unreal. I still keep holding my breath as I prep by listening to acts playing the festival this year, watching the Coachella Documentary from 2020, booking my travel, and planning out what I want to wear. With plenty of festivals now happening and three years since the last installment, Coachella seems imminent. I truly can’t believe we’ve made it this far. With the amount of time left, it’s really time to intensify the prep so this week I’m previewing an artist I’ve known about for a few years who, in my opinion, doesn’t get enough credit.

Finneas Baird O’Connell really has his claim to fame through his sister, Billie Eilish. He writes and produces a ton of her music along with other artists. He also writes and records his own music under the name FINNEAS. Before taking on his own project, he was the lead singer in the band, The Slightlys and took on some acting projects in the early 2010’s, including having a few appearances on the musical based TV show Glee. Since 2016, he has been recording and releasing his own music though. He released his first EP Blood Harmony in 2019 and his first studio album Optimist just last year. His music style is considered pop/alternative. After listening to FINNEAS for the first time in 2019, I would definitely consider him a pop artist. Also, despite the fact that he writes Billie’s music, I really do prefer his stuff over his sister’s. I knew once I discovered this that I wanted to listen to him more, but never really made the effort to do so. I guess there’s no better time than the present and no better festival to do it for than Coachella.

Billie Eilish is Saturday night’s headliner and usually a Billie festival appearance equates a FINNEAS festival appearance (sans Coachella 2019 when Billie made her first Polo Fields appearance). He plays a Sunday set. I’d expect a Sunday afternoon appearance from the older O’Connell sibling. I would also expect a Gobi or Mojave set from him. His set will likely be far less crowded than the set he’ll be a part of on Saturday night, but nonetheless, will be just as good. Here’s what you should be listening to in preparation for FINNEAS:

1. Let’s Fall in Love for the Night
2. Break My Heart Again
3. I Lost A Friend
4. Till Forever Falls Apart
5. What They’ll Say About Us
6. Angel
7. A Concert Six Months From Now
8. I Don’t Miss You At All
9. Claudia
10. New Girl

Coachella Band Preview: Turnover

Greetings from Mexico! It’s funny writing that because I’m currently not in Mexico, but when this is posted I will be. Told ya I’d make sure I have a weekly band preview, which means you should be prepping daily for one of the best music festivals of the year. This week I’m previewing a band I found out about on my flight to California in 2017 when I was headed out to work my first Coachella. I’ll tell you the story, but first, Turnover.

Turnover is a band based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The band is comprised of brothers Austin and Casey Getz and Danny Dempsey. Formed in 2009, the band has gone through several lineup changes through the years, but the Getz brothers and Dempsey have been a part since the beginning. The band signed to indie record label Run For Cover Records in 2012.

The band released their first self-titled EP in 2011 and their first album Magnolia in 2013. They’ve toured with the likes of several well-known bands in their pop punk/alternative music scene such as New Found Glory, I Am the Avalanche, The Swellers, Major League, Citizen, and fellow Coachella 2019 performer Turnstile. Their second EP Blue Dream was released in 2014 followed by their second full length album Peripheral Vision in 2015. Their latest album Good Nature was released in 2017.

Much like other bands from their scene, Turnover’s musical style has gone through a progression over the years. As the band members grew up from their teens to their 20’s, they went from emo and pop-punk to indie rock. The difference is striking from their first EP and first album to their latest.

As I said I found out about Turnover in spring 2017 on my flight to Coachella. I definitely wouldn’t have known about them otherwise either because I don’t often listen to bands in their scene any more. My friend Chelsea and I booked the same flight to California from Baltimore. She was headed out to Coachella for the first time. I was headed out for the second time, but for my first work experience at the festival. It was also the first time I was flying alone. It didn’t turn out that way because we ended up sitting next to each other and catching up after having not seen each other in years. We discussed life. We discussed music. We discussed Coachella. We discussed music at Coachella. She introduced me to Future Islands who were playing the festival that year and then she also brought up the band Turnover. She told me they were a much chiller version of Title Fight, which is a band we both grew up knowing and listening to from her hometown and a town 15 minutes away from mine. We streamed Turnover on the flight (miraculously!) and I definitely agreed. They were really good. I downloaded one of their songs shortly after I returned from my two week stay in Southern California and another a few months later.

When the Coachella lineup was released Wednesday night, Chelsea was one of the first people I texted. Since attending Coachella in 2017, it’s become a yearly thing for her. She loves it as much as me. We discussed the lineup and our excitement about it. Then she realized that Turnover was on the bill. I didn’t see it either until she mentioned it. It increased our hype even more.

Turnover plays Saturday at Coachella. As for stage and timing, I’d guess earlier in the day to mid-afternoon at either Gobi or Mojave, but they could easily play an early day set on the Main or Outdoor Stage. It’s definitely up in the air until the schedule comes out in April. I hope I get the chance to see their set or at least some of it. If you’re looking to see some indie rock at Coachella and grew up in that same pop-punk scene that I did, I definitely recommend checking out Turnover. Their set is sure to be great and super chill. So now all you need to do is get ready to see them. I know I have some listening to do because up until earlier today, my familiarity with their music was restricted to two songs. I’ve spent the past hour listening though and here’s what I like so far:

1. Cutting My Fingers Off
2. Super Natural
3. Dizzy On the Comedown
4. Sunshine Type
5. I Would Hate You If I Could
6. Humming
7. Pure Devotion
8. New Scream
9. Butterfly Dream
10. Hello Euphoria