The Coachella Experience

Oh Coachella, you are a magical place of wonders. Not only do you get the greatest bands to perform at your festival, you force all the normal people to dress up like hippies, and you bring out almost every single celebrity for one giant celebrity hippie fest.

Now, most people were not lucky or rich enough to snag a Coachella ticket. Tickets sold out in just a matter of 5 days. So if you are one of the many unfortunate ones, I'll tell you what you missed out.

First, open up Youtube. Coachella was streaming on Youtube for the whole world to see. Pretty cool, right?

Oh, I'm sorry. I need to talk Coachellan.

It was totally far out, man. If you didn't have enough bread to check out the groovy bands, Youtube streamed all the performances. So go watch the highlights. I recommend watching Mumford & Sons. It was so boss, dude. Ya dig?

This year's festival headlined Kings of Leon, Album of the Year winner Arcade Fire, everyone's favorite interrupter Kayne West, The Strokes, Black Keys, The Chemical Brothers, Bright Eyes and Mumford & Sons.

But of course, let's not forget the celebrities. A $300 dollar ticket is really a hundred bucks a day to see your favorite bands, plus celebrities frolicking through the fields of the ritzy Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. This year, quite a few celebrities were spotted. Vanessa Hudgens was caught doing drugs eating melted white chocolate from her fingers with her rumored boyfriend Josh Hutcherson. Emma Roberts and "Glee's" Chord Overstreet were spotted making out. Does this mean a new Taylor Swift song is in the writing process? Then there was Katy Perry waving a light saber because she's so extraterrestrial. Apparently Paul McCartney went incognito, and Jack Dawson Leonardo DiCaprio, Rihanna and Robert Downey Jr. all let their inner hipster come out. That's a whole lotta freaks in one vicinity.

But let's point out the totally rad drama that any celebrity obsessed dude would pay $300 for. Camilla Belle, plus Ashley Greene, plus Joe Jonas equals serious awkward tension. Who wouldn't want to be there to witness that? Seriously, where was Taylor Swift during this? Not only was her VMA interupter headlining, but her ex boyfriend, her "Better Than Revenge" inspiration, and last dating victim were all there.  You can't write that stuff. I'm sure she would have a gas writing all those songs. She could have had enough material to write her fourth album. But no, she has to be traveling for her sold out world tour. Only lame people do that...

And if you're a fan of getting loaded on acid (I disapprove, but some people live for that stuff) Coachella at night will make you double check your drink for any psychedelic drugs. This year, Coachella had an outta sight lit up display of dandelions, swans and cassette tapes, plus many more. Maybe this is the cause for everyone to magically turn into a hippie the second they walk through the entrance.

Now you listen to the music. Golden. You have the bread for a ticket. Winning. Oh shoot, we can't talk Charlie Sheen. I don't know if the Coachellan's accept that. Anyways, so how do you dress like a hippie a Coachellan? Simple.

1. A true Coachellan doesn't wear shoes. But if you're not a reg, flip flops and TOMS work just fine.
2. Girls wear headbands, guys wear bandanas--neon colored bandanas
3.  Hipster glasses. Ray-Bans, aviators, those sunglasses from the '90s. What are they called? I don't know, but you gotta wear them, man, if you wanna be hip.
4. Straw fedora hats, trucker hats, floppy hats, you know, hats not sociably acceptable anywhere else but California's Coachella
5. Flamboyant colors. Ditch the snooze fest white, black and grays. You need be a walking acid trip. Even if you're a straight cat or chick, it's all about the color. Bring out the neons and the flower prints.  Flower power, man. It's 1969 2011!
6. Glowsticks. Come on, you need to add to the overall trippiness.


So there you go. A Coachella wrap up in just one blog. And hey, you got to miss out on the scorching hot weather. Indio, California's average temperature for the month of April is 87 degrees. You know you don't live in the magical land of California when your state's average temperature is 35 degrees. Yay for real life.

Peace out and stay hip.

A Rocket to the Moon lands in Michigan

Go Radio rocked out with their ear gages. Runner Runner hit on on young girls (so you need to hide yo kids, hide yo wives, and hide yo husbands because Runner Runner is creepin' on eurybody out here), Anarbor head banged with their hippie hair and half shut eyes, Valencia acted somewhat normal and then A Rocket to the Moon serenaded the adoring fans for their first headlining tour,"On Your Side."

A Rocket to the Moon sold out the show in Pontiac, Mich., attracting fans of all ages, skinny jean, converse wearing twelve years old, to crowd surfing drunken college students, to parents lounging in cushioned couches in the back of the Eagle Theatre. Nick Santino and gang were more laid back than headbangers Anarbor, but easily won over their fans by singing 14 of their songs from both their first full length album "On Your Side," to older songs from their EP "Greetings From..."

Nick even gave a special shout out to Pontiac, saying how it was The Eagle Theatre where he and guitarist Justin Richards wrote their hit "Like We Used To" in the parking lot the year before. The song was their first song to play on the radio and the crowd went nuts when they found out the story behind the beloved summer romance song.

Santino demanded that the audience sing louder than him during "Dakota" and his wish was granted. Even after their exited, the crowd chanted "one more song," and just 30 seconds later, Nick, Justin, Andrew, and Eric "The Mouthbreather" came back on stage to sing the fans two more songs, ending their sold out concert with "Mr. Right."

Fans walked away satisfied and still wanting more. But does A Rocket to the Moon ever disappoint? The answer is no. Starting in May, the Rocket crew will launch over across the pound to charm their British fans alongside Mayday Parade, and will go down under capture the hearts of Aussie's, kangaroos, and fans in Indonesia with Hey Monday.

Introducing...The Civil Wars

Hidden behind the songs repeated on the radio 100 times a day, hidden behind the Billboard Top 200 charts and sold out world tours, hidden deep into iTunes and selected iPods across the country is a duo called The Civil Wars.

Iron and Wine mixed with Mumford & Sons with a country spice and you get the indie folk band made up of Joy Williams and John Paul White. The Civil Wars formed in early 2008 and released their debut album "Live at Eddie's Attic" in June of 2009.

Their song "Poison and Wine" made an appearance on a "Grey's Anatomy" episode right before their EP album "Poison and Wine" came out, which later prompted iTunes to rank "Poison and Wine" as 2010's Best Singer/Songwriter album.

Love a soothing yet melancholic song? "Poison and Wine" is just for your and your sensitive side. The refrain "I don't love you, but I always will" might sound complicated written down, but in spoken word it will make you understand its confusing meaning. Love harmonies? The Civil Wars sing the perfect harmonies and chords better than a barbershop quartet. And guess what? They only need two people to do that. The only instrumental you'll need is a muted acoustic guitar and simple piano chords. Doesn't sound like much, but it will sweep you off your feet just five seconds in. So if you're a fan of fermented grape juice, you have your combination of iron and wine, which is an almost guarantee that you'll love poison and wine too.

If you're a little bit country instead of a little bit of rock 'n roll, not only are you probably turning into Marie Osmond, but "Barton Hollow" is just for you. The guitar riff and melody will transport y'all to the Deep South. It will make y''all want to get up, stomp your foot into the dirt ground and square dance in your plaid shirt underneath the moss dangling from a southern live oak tree. A hint of southern upbringings in their hometowns of Nashville, Tenn. and Muscle Shoals, Ala can be traced in the melody. "Barton Hollow" will be a grand ole time if "Poison and Wine" was a little too sentimental for you.

Now that you're acquainted with The Civil Wars, go out a listen to the rest of their songs that are just as good as "Poison and Wine" and "Barton Hollow." For those indie, folk and country fans, you will soon find The Civil Wars taking over your iPod as much as Rebecca Black is taking over the world  the music industry. (Which artist hasn't made a "Friday" cover?) Easy listening, beautiful melodies and lyrics, where can you find music like that today? John Paul White has a voice of a god. Nickelback needs to take a few pointers from him. The Civil Wars are one of the most underrated and unheard of bands today. So if you want to listen to real music, Joy and John will show you the way.

Enjoy.