I Write. You Should Read.: 10 Things to Love About 2010

1. 311 Day in Vegas

Let me preface this with a statement: I LOVE 311! They are, in fact, my favorite band. Period. Deal with that however you choose :) 311 is on the road allllll the time, and that's how its been for years now. For nearly ten years now, on 3/11 (that's March 11th for all you special ones), the band plays a special show (usually in New Orleans, LA) with a longer set than usual and an expanded set list....which thrills the ride-or-die 311 fans. (The 2006 311 Day show was 5 hours long and featured a 66-song set list!!!) This year, the show will take place in America's grown-up playground, LAS VEGAS!!! The 2010 festivities include a fan party, 2 shows on 3/11 (daytime and evening) and a beach party featuring their tour guests, The Wailers.

Tickets may be hard to come by this late in the game, but go to 311's official website for more info.

2. SXSW

For anyone who has ever attended the mecca of a music festival in Austin, TX, the name says it all. Invaluable networking, exclusive and intimate performances and inspiration to keep creating for the next 11 months until it's time to do it all again! I remember South By Southwest back in the 90's, when most of the attendees and performers were from Texas. Today, more than twenty years since their first production, SXSW is internationally recognized as a must-attend event for industry folks and music lovers alike.

The festival features live music, industry networking events, film screenings and much much MUCH more. I will be in attendance at this year's festival, which runs from March 12-21. Hope to see you guys there!

Info, including how to purchase registration bands and local hotel listings, is available here. The full 2010 lineup has not been announced, but you can check out a list of the bands that have been confirmed so far here.

3. Coachella

Only hours ago the 2010 Coachella lineup was announced. Among the 130 acts that will grace the stage in Indio, CA this year are Devo, Tiësto, Grizzly Bear, De La Soul, Faith No More, Gil Scott-Heron, Them Crooked Vultures, Jay Z, The Raveonettes, Public Image Limited, Wale, MGMT, Sly and the Family Stone, Bassnectar, Pavement, MUTEMATH and Corinne Bailey Rae (I LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

As if Coachella's lineup wasn't reason enough to attend, the festival's powers that be offer LAYAWAY TICKETS! What do you say boys and girls???? Altogether now: THANK YOU COACHELLA! This year's festival is April 16, 17 and 18. All information (including info on camping and car camping for all you hardcore music fest fans) is available on Coachella's official website.

*The Coachella 2010 lineup page is awesome! Very well put together. Ever single performer is listed and you simply click on the respective icons next to their names to find them on Twitter/Facebook/MySpace/YouTube. Very cool. Check it out.

4. Austin City Limits

This year's ACL will be held at Zilker Park in Austin (duh) October 8-10. While the 2010 lineup won't be announced until later this year, ACL's past leave us thirsty for more and waiting with baited breath to find out who will rock the stage this year.

Mos Def, Kings of Leon, Eek-A-Mouse and Yeah Yeah Yeahs were among the numerous 2009 acts...this makes me very hopeful for 2010:)

The best way to stay in the know on all things ACL is to get connected online in one of the 7, yes 7, convenient ways offered: find ACL on Facebook, Twitter or MySpace; sign up for email or mobile alerts; keep up with the official ACL message board or the official ACL blog.

I love love love Mos Def and I love love love his 2009 release, The Ecstatic, which I'm sure will comprise much of his set list at ACL this year (at least I'm hoping it will). I really wanted to post my favorite track from the album for you guys....its called "Life in Marvelous Times," but there's no official video for it. So please excuse the lameness of the fan-made video that I found on YouTube and enjoy the track:)

5. VANS Warped Tour

For the love of Punk! This year the Warped Tour turns sweet 16...well, as sweet as a punks can get:) Warped Tour will forever remind me of good times in the summer as a teenager. My friends and I were faithful attendees of Warped Tour back in those days. We'd plan for it for months and then in the few days before, we'd get our parents to drop us at the mall so that we could find the PERFECT t-shirt to wear...lol. So much fun. Well, my friends and I are pushing 30 now, but Warped Tour still makes me smile. Not only is there no shortage of music to make you move (or mosh...whatever you like), but Warped Tour has plenty of other things happening to keep you entertained. When you're not watching the bands perform, you can watch skaters or BMXers do their thing on the ever present Warped Tour ramps.

This year's lineup doesn't dissapoint, featuring acts such as Agent Orange, We the Kings, The Fabulous Rudies, Of Mice and Men and (this is not a joke) Sum 41....we'll see how that last one works out...I was actually a fan when they debuted, not so sure now...lol. Warped Tour runs June 24th through August 15th. That's alot of dates, which is cool because you can bet the show is coming to your city or one near by. All the info is available here. (Sierra Says: Dear Warped Tour Folks, I love the show you put on, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE upgrade your website...it kind of sucks.)
Here's a look back at last year's Warped Tour 15th Anniversary Celebration:

6. Lollapalooza - http://www.lollapalooza.com/

August 6-8, Grant Park Chicago.
Beats, rhymes, guitars and moshing. Lollapalooza was founded in 1991 by Jane's Addiction singer, Perry Farrell. Since then, with a brief hiatus between 1997 and 2003, Lollapalooza has provided the stage for some of the best live musical performances of the past 2 decades. From Archie Bell to Alice in Chains to A Tribe Called Quest and many more, the festival's gargantuan lineup always includes a little something for everyone. Check out this list of Lollapalooza lineups past!

The interweb is abuzz with rumors, but this year's official lineup is yet to be announced. Early Bird passes to the festival have been sold out since August '09, so be sure to stay tuned to the latest happenings on the official Lollapalooza website to be in the know when regular tickets go on sale. Bonus: a portion of the proceeds from Lollapalooza ticket sales are donated to the Parkways Foundation. Music on a mission....now that's good stuff.

7. New Interpol Album Release

In 2002, Interpol exploded onto the national scene and sonically illuminated the world with their debut studio release "Turn on the Bright Lights." 3 albums and 6 EP's later, Interpol announced in 2009 that they were working on a brand new album to be released at some point this year.

While fans have never turned their back on the NYC four-piece, it's no secret that there are high hopes for a return to the Interpol of the "Turn on the Bright Lights" days. We shall see... The band's official website is quite cryptic, at the moment, but I would imagine this will change as the album release date approaches.

8. Lilith Fair

Contrary to what many believe, Lilith Fair is not some sort of over-the-top-hardcore-feminist-man-hating-go-girl rally. It is a celebration of women and our {amazing} creative energy. Founded by Sheryl Crow in 1996, Lilith Fair was one of the highest grossing touring festivals in the world from 1997 to 1999. Past Lilith lineups have included a wide range of notables spanning multiple genres, including the Dixie Chicks, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Fiona Apple, Tracy Chapman and, of course, the show's creator, Sarah McLachlan.

2010 marks the return of Lilith Fair after just over a decade-long hiatus! The entire lineup has not been announced, but a few of the already confirmed acts have me way excited: Corinne Bailey Rae, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott....those three alone are reason enough for me to want to attend!!! 33 cities have been announced so far and there's more to come, so stay tuned to the official Lilith Fair website for details on show dates, lineup announcements and ticket sales.

9. Outkast!?!?

Of all the announcements in this post, this is by far my favorite. Andre 3000 and Big Boi are each releasing solo albums in 2010. According to news sources, if the solo projects are well received, a new Outkast album can be expected. I almost peed in my pants when I heard this. Although I hope in my heart of hearts that this will come to pass, this is not {yet} an official announcement that the album is in the works.

If this is true, then this album will be a long awaited answered prayer for legions of die-hard fans who have dreamed about this day for years now. The level of originality and raw talent the duo possesses have yet to be matched by any others. Their chemistry is magical...their delivery is absolutely incredible. Outkast, I wish you all the best for your solo albums and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the group release...because the whole world loves it when you make that sound;)

Until we know something more, you can satisfy your Outkast cravings by visiting their official website. You can check out the entire collection of every video the duo has ever made {hallelujah} and you can also sign up for the email list to stay in the know....I recommend it.

10. LCD Soundsystem Tour

Producer/musician extraordinaire/really funny and creative dude who makes music that makes me want to dance, James Murphy AKA LCD Soundsystem is packing up his live show supporting band types and going on tour! I could say some things about it, but LCD can say it even better. The refreshingly straight forward latest update on the official LCD Soundsystem website is titled "basically we're announcing a tour." Check it out:

"i can’t imagine this comes as a shock to everyone, since we’re making a record, which is well documented, and i’ve talked pretty openly about going on tour, but we’re going on tour. there’s a button at the top here that says “gigs” that you can click on, as well as a section to the left called “standing in front of people doing things loudly”. they’re the same thing, really. that has gig information. before you get mad and ask why there’s no gig in your town or house, please realize (realise, for you uk people) that we’re going on tour for a long time, in a lot of places, around the planet, for longer in support of this one record than the beatles ever toured in total, and we’ll likely be close to you at some point. i hope that clears some of that up?

we’re excited, and want this to be the best tour ever. hope we see some of you out."

There you have it, folks. For once, I have nothing more to say:)

Honorable Mention: New Massive Attack Album

We waited and waited and waited, then we waited some more...and it's finally paid off! Trip-hop lovers, hold your heads up. Massive Attack's "Heligoland" will be released February 9th in the U.S. (and one day earlier in the UK)!!!