Sunday in Coachella. On this final day, here are some more cool bands that most people will likely miss.

Sunday, April 19

Vivian Girls (Mohave Tent, 12:45-1:30 pm)

Punk / Shoegaze / Surf – Brooklyn, NY | MySpace | official site

Cassie Ramone, Kickball Katy, Ali Koehler are the Vivian Girls. A nicely dense musical racket with pretty punky vocal harmonies laid on top. Good stuff. At first I thought “surf” was a joke, but indeed, they have a 7″ single available called “Surf’s Up” (they also have 4 other 7″ers and an LP available). After Coachella they have a big U.S., Canada and European tour lined up.

Supermayer (Sahara Tent, 1:00-2:15 pm)

Electroacoustic / Folk / Techno – Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany | MySpace

Supermayer features Kompakt artists Michael Mayer and Superpitcher (real name Aksel Schaufler). Apparently they’re known for their melding of pop and synth/techno (they’ve covered Brian Eno’s “Baby’s on Fire” and Mayer has a song called “Love Is Stronger Than Pride” that incorporates Sade lyrics). I personally find their stuff very listenable (currently checking out “Rufus Wainwright Tiergarten Remix”), which I don’t always with techno. Highly regarded amongst aficionados of the genre. “Cocktails for two” is slow and hypnotic; quite nice.

No Age (Mohave Tent, 1:45-2:30 pm)

Experimental / Power Pop / Punk – Los Angeles, California | MySpace | official site

Thrashy, noisy, good, signed to Sub Pop. [can you tell these mini-profiles are wearing me a bit thin?]. Surprised to see they’re a duo (Randy Randall on guitar and Dean Spunt on drums) ’cause it sounds like way more people than that. I wonder what they sound like live? Guess I’ll have to wait to find out. They have two albums out (“Weirdo Rippers” and “Nouns”), are a regular fixture at The Smell, and have a strong connection with the L.A. underground community.

Shepard Fairey (Sahara Tent, 2:15-3:15 pm)

| MySpace | official site

Not a band at all, Shepard Fairey is an artist, graphic designer, and illustrator, now world-reknown for his Barack Obama “HOPE” poster. Not exactly sure what he’ll be doing in the Sahara Tent, but he’ll be there.

Fucked Up (Mohave Tent, 2:50-3:40 pm)

Hardcore / Punk – Toronto, Ontario, Canada | MySpace | official site

Loud, noisy, abrasive, yup. Just so I can pass along these band member names… 10,000 Marbles (Mike Haliechuk) – Lead Guitar; Father Damian aka Pink Eyes (Damian Abraham) – Vocals; Slumpy aka Laundry aka Mustard Gas (Sandy Miranda) – Bass Guitar; Concentration Camp aka Gulag (Josh Zucker) – Rhythm Guitar; Guinea Beat aka Mr. Jo (Jonah Falco) – Drums; and Young Governor Aka Bad Kid Aka Lil’ Bitey (Ben Cook) — Third Guitar. Their MySpace page is actually fan-run; they don’t have an official one. Huge biography on there, if you’re interested. They’re in Europe after Coachella, and are playing the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago on July 18. So, a band name that most media outlets won’t be able to speak, and band members with multiple and confusing names. They really know how to do this, don’t they?

Sebastien Tellier (Gobi Tent, 3:25-4:15 pm)

Pop – Paris, France | MySpace | official site

(from Wikipedia, because I’m feeling lazy today): “Sébastien Tellier (born 1975 in Paris) is a French singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is currently signed to Record Makers, a French independent record label. He sings in English, French and Italian.” It’s synth-pop with heavily produced-sounding vocals.

M.A.N.D.Y. (Sahara Tent, 4:15-5:15 pm)

Showtunes / Healing & EasyListening / Tropical – Berlin, Germany | MySpace | Get Physical label

“Showtunes / Healing & EasyListening / Tropical”… uh no, not really. Techno/house remixes. Formed the Get Physical indie label around 2001 in Germany. Complete biography and band history here.

K’Naan (Gobi Tent, 4:35-5:25 pm)

Hip Hop / Folk / Afro-beat – Mogadisho, Toronto, Los Angeles | MySpace | official site

Hip-hop incorporating African percussion. Soon embarking on a U.S. tour with Snoop Dog.

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