The Jarvis Lounge

Coachella is finally here

After devoting three posts in a row to some of the acts that are going to be at Coachella, arguably the most popular music festival is set to start today. I wanted to give a few reminders for people who will be attending this weekend, or catching the livestream on YouTube:

1. Blink-182 was added to the Weekend 1 lineup. – In a move that echoes the set time release last year, Coachella has added Blink-182 to the Friday lineup for Weekend 1. Specifically, they’ll be playing in the Sahara from 6:45pm-7:35pm. While not a huge Blink-182 fan, the thought of being able to see their first show with this lineup since 2014, before they head out on tour, is pretty rad. The real question now: will they be on the Weekend 2 lineup? Or will this be similar to last year’s Arcade Fire appearance, which was only on Weekend 1? Or will someone else appear that’s not currently on the lineup?

2. Jai Paul is dope, and you should check him out. – After learning more about Jai Paul, and how he’s never performed live, I’m intrigued by this set. Performing at the Mojave from 7:40pm-8:30pm on Saturday (lineup originally had him on Sunday), he does conflict some with ROSALÍA. But maybe pop your head in. I plan to, this weekend during the livestream.

3. Frank Ocean’s headlining set is running virtually unopposed. – While fans may love this, non fans will either be forced to watch Ocean, or check out early. It’s possible that Ocean requested to make sure nearby stages were quiet to accommodate his quieter set. It will also help give the impression that more people want to check out his set, since they’ll literally have less options. Personally, I’m not a fan of this. While I wasn’t at Coachella when Beyonce performed (another example of keeping the other stages empty), I remember seeing Tom Petty at Bottlerock in 2017. This was a similar situation, where the only other stage that had music was a silent disco. This created an overcrowded situation, and honestly made watching him that night less enjoyable.

4. The biggest conflicts for me are on Saturday. – If these times hold for Weekend 2, the biggest conflicts will be on Saturday for me. In particular, there’s a point where there’s overlap between ROSALÍA, SOFI TUKKER, The Breeders, Yaeji, Remi Wolf, and Diljit Dosanjh. These are all acts I was hoping to catch. I’ll have to let some go, and split times elsewhere. Having too many acts you want to see is clearly a good problem. Would have been nice to have some spread out into Sunday, which is the lightest of my three days.

5. YouTube Reminder: They’ll be streaming both weekends, all stages. – Both weekends will be streaming on YouTube, so be sure to get a schedule, and check out acts you’re most interested in. If you’re going next weekend, maybe save some for the fields, and check out acts you don’t plan on seeing live, or ones you’re not sure about seeing live.

The Tasting Room

For this new segment of the blog, I want to highlight artists on the rise. Over the years, I’ve encountered countless artists/bands/performers, some of which I saw live when they were on the up. This list would include Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Echosmith, Lizzo, RÜFÜS DU SOL, and many more. Living in Long Beach has always given me proximity to many, many artists who call LA their home, or are just stopping in on tour. The Tasting Room will give you a taste of three of their songs, and a little info on who they are (and where you can listen to their music).

This week’s flight….Alicia Blue

I first wrote about Alicia Blue after I saw her back in 2021 at Hotel Cafe. Since then, she’s continued writing, recording, and releasing original music, and some tasty covers. As a singer-songwriter, Blue melds her influences of folk, pop, rock, and country steadily in her songs. For today’s song flight, I’ve chosen three songs that I think best represent an introduction to her universe of music.

First taste: “Picasso Blue”

This was one of the songs I remember seeing her play live, and in my opinion, captures her who she is as a singer and songwriter. This is the new music video that was released last month for the song.

Second taste: “Saline Waters”

This song was released last year, and is a personal favorite of mine. I love the feel and production of the track, and the music video enhances all of this.

Third taste: “Jane Says” (Jane’s Addiction cover)

For the last tasting of this flight, I’m highlighting one of her covers. While I also like her cover of “Dreams,” I think her Jane’s Addiction cover stands out more. Being a Jane’s Addiction fan, it’s easy to dismiss a cover of their most popular song. But Blue brings her own flavorful ambience to the piece, putting the lyrics out front, and she even got the attention of Perry Farrell.

Where can you listen to her?

Aside from following her on YouTube, you can follow her on Instagram, and check out her music on Spotify:

Jarv’s 2023 Lounge Mix