Highway to 'Chella

End of the road

2007-05-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

Many tales from Coachella will go untold.

It was an epic experience. Everything from the road trip, to the camp area, to the mass of fantastic music will stick with me for much of my life. We made friends, met people, learned about the world and ourselves. At one point an older part Native American man selling trinckets on the side of the road began prophesizing about my life in the next few years, and it really hit home.

But much of this is personal and should remain that way. I appreciate anyone who stuck with this blog as the trip came and went. Keeping this record has meant a lot to me. I'm dealing with the final days of life before the real world, not an easy thing to do.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this just a fraction as much as I've enjoyed putting it together. The idea was to kill time during the massive wait until Coachella, and to also have some record of this trip years from now. I've accomplished both of those things.

Finally, I'd like to urge everyone I know and even strangers to take a leap. When something like this pops up in your life don't ever rule it out. Sure, it may take months of hard work (I lived on Wal-Mart food, worked out daily, and quit any and all fun for four months to make this possible) but in 10 years it is the risks, big events and foolish choices you make that will stay with you. As someone who has strung together a chain of seemingly random trips, I say the most valuable moments of life almost always happen outside of your routine, your hometown, away from your friends and family.

Buy me a cup of coffee, and I'll tell you all you want to know about Coachella. Thanks again.

Zack Quaintance.

Albuquerque can be a cold place

2007-05-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

Wrapped in a comforter, vision obscured by dark sunglasses, Chad Wetzel smoked a cigarrette outside of a 7-11 at 4 a.m. last week in Albuquerque.

I had just driven us from near Amarillo to New Mexico, where we learned the desert can be a cold, unforgiving place at night. With no gas stations open near the exit, we moved further into the city, where a squat woman sold me $40 in gas through a latched window.

Before pumping the gas, I made sure to wake up Chad, who works third shift and had been preordained to handle the roughest splotches of driving. He had been sound asleep on the cooler for a solid four hours before we roused him.

"Wake up douche, it's time to drive," we yelled, hitting him in the head and shaking him. Douche may not have been the exact word, but it either that or one of the other terms male friends use with eachother.

"Alright, I just need a smoke," he said. As Chad sucked down the cigarette we all ran around wildly outside disgusted with the temperature, which we assumed would be brutally hot at all times of day.

This was just one of the stops we made. Every six hours we gassed the car, drained our bladders and waited for Wayne to move his bowels. Clearly, much happened along the way. I drove over a curb, a gas third shift gas station clerk cursed at Wayne for buying three suckers with a debit card, and a weirdo in Flagstaff, Ariz., told me the next time I eat at Denny's I will certainly get food poisoning.

The road was part of the fun of this journey. Going there was more than bearable, what with the sense of anticipation and none of us having previously travelled that route. Going back was fun as well.

On a stretch of Arizona to New Mexico highway we caught one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. With Arcade Fire serenading our view, we all sort of dropped silent for a while as the red sun bathed nearby bluffs, mesas and valleys. Someone may have commentted on how at peace we all were after such a brillant weekend, or maybe that's just my mind filling in the blank that doesn't need to be said anyway.

This was a once in a lifetime trip, it hurts to realize that.

The Nightwatchman cometh

2007-05-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

Clad in a thick shirt and dark jeans during the hottest part of the desert day, because "you never know when the tear gas will start falling," Tom Morello became the Nightwatchman before our eyes Saturday.

With protest and anthem songs reminiscent of the 60s and 70s, he had a capacity crowd inside the smallish Gobi Tent singing along with every word. Morello, a master of the electric guitar, plays a decent enough acoustic and sings in a fitting gutteral style. The Nightwatchman falls far short of Rage, not that Morello wants to replace his old band. But the over the top persona and point he strives to make hits home hard.

He played many of the songs off the newly released Nightwatchman album, teasing us on one occassion when he ripped into his piercing part of Rage hit "Bulls on Parade." Tim, Chad and I had come an act early to make sure we'd be up front for this while Wayne planted himself at the main stage waiting for Arcade Fire. By the end of the set, I was ecstatic we had stayed.

About half way through, Tim turned to me. "Zack's back there," he said, referring to Rage's lead singer who we of course would have liked to have seen a day before the reunion show. Tim spotted an afro and assumed it was de la Rocha. Instead, it was Boots Reiley of the Coup.

Morello brought out Boots and former Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Ferrel to rip through Woody Gunthrie's "This Land is Our Land," adding pro-revolution verses of course. Never in third grade did I think this patriotic song we learned in music class would end up on my lips as I sang in unison with hundreds of other dissillusioned young people. It was powerful to say the least.

My fingers hurt from being crossed too hard in hopes of a new Rage album. Deep down I realize a fifth album from my favorite band holds the likelihood of me walking on the moon. That said, I think I can settle with Morello's little side project, and a full-scale Rage tour, wishful thinking there. It's ridicolous to think music can spur wide-scale change, but thoughtful tunes can open eyes.

Arcade Fire steals Saturday

2007-05-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

Despite not being able to move my arms for much of their set, Arcade Fire blew me away Saturday evening.

Playing the main stage just after sunset before the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this indie band from Montreal put on one of the greatest live shows I have ever seen. The passion was incredible and the crowd gave it back. We also met some cool people just before the show started.

Wayne had camped out most of the day and had a great spot by the front on the left. Chad, Tim and I spent our day watching Tom Morello's side project the Nightwatchman, and came late just before the Kings of Leon set. We met this Canadian guys who had a great plan to make it to the front.

"I'll just knock my way through and you guys follow behind me," one tall canadian with no shirt and a straw cowboy hat told us. "I'll just say sorry I stepped on your girlfriends foot bro, but these guys were pushing me."

The plan worked flawlessly. We followed this guy very close to the rail. Also, he had a hash nugget and ate it with a bottle of Gatorade after no one around us could offer a pipe. Interesting dude.

The pushing before Arcade Fire was intense. As 30,000 people behind us fought for our spots the crowd developed a sense of humor about the whole thing. "Don't give an inch. You shall not pass!" Became our rallying cry.

All in all, the fight was worth it. While nowhere near as intense as Rage or satisfying, the Arcade Fire has exploded in popularity and many news outlets reported on the quality of this show. Glad to say I was front and center, even if I was squished.

One guy enjoyed Rage more than me

2007-05-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

A horrible smell assaulted the Rage pit at one point during the perfomrance. I bristled immidiately, knowing exactly what it was. Then the people around me noticed it as well.

"Who farted?" someone asked.

"That's no fart," came the reply.

And it wasn't. Without a doubt, someone in the Rage mosh pit near the stage slightly to the left soiled his pants. Then my inner monologue spoke up: "Uh-oh, that wasn't us was it? We need to check."

It wasn't. But the event raised many questions when I looked back at it during the car ride home. When this guy gets home, he has the most interesting description of how the show went.

"Hey man, Coachella huh? That must have been really great, what with all the bands and all. Wait, woah! Didn't Rage reunite, shit bro, how was that?"

"So good I shit my pants."

"Wow, so they were good huh? Phenomanal even?"

"Yeah, man, I mean, I shit my pants."

I was also left with several qustions after this happened. All through the show people were bailing from the pit, having us hardcore dudes lift them over the crowd to safety. But when the smell came, no one stepped forward. The culprit probably hoped to keep attention off him, so he kept moshing with shit in his pants? Gross.

Still it speaks to the power of Rage's reunion that a man lost his bowels during the show. The pit was truely intense. I felt as if I were fighting for my life the entire time. I will be surprised as if anything in my life causes this sort of fear again. Still, best show I've ever seen. Don't know how anything could top this.

Here's a photo of the crew, reunited after the show.

The road to recovery

2007-05-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

We're back, we're safe, we're fully armed with memories we shall carry until we are old men.

I lay upon the couch in my boring, generic, middle of the road, cliched college apartment in Carbondale as I finish my final 10 days as a college student. I could be a frat guy, wasted on Busch Lite, calling some upper-class, white girl with long stringy bleached hair that likes guys with a sweet faith in Jesus and a knack for pointing out how funny people different from us really are. I could be content to be normal.

Instead, I lay here, ankles throbbing, ears ringing, mind's eye rapidly shuffling images of a week that could vie for the best of my life. Before I sort out the trip's events and the impact it will have on my life, which has changed after this, I must nurse my body to health.

I slept three hours last night sitting upright in the car as we crossed from Texas to Oklahoma. My ears rang from being up front for Rage Against the Machine's reunion. The show gave me goosebumps with its power and relevance, but it also gave me some wicked injuries.

We camped out from 2 p.m. until Rage took the stage. Though the more than 100 degree weather tested us, we enjoyed our stay in front of the stage. Armed with a back pack full of bottled water, we bantered playfully with those waiting around us, making friends for the afternoon.

Explosions in the Sky, a brillant instrumental band from Texas, played beautiful background music during the hottest part of the day as we watched security heave open bottles of water into the air between spraying down the crowd with cool water. We grooved to the Roots, who as expected blew us away with what is no question hip hop's best live show.

Seated on the left side of the stage, no more than 10 people away from the front, we laughed at our brothers and sisters on the right. We stood comfortably as they pushed for position. We were enlightened, polite and just better. We cheered Willie Nelson as he and his family band performed a day before Willie's 74th birthday, and we felt bad for Austrailian 80s band Crowded House, who suffered through a totally geeked Rage crowd as they played one of their first shows in 11 years.

Then tragedy struck. Our utopian left side degenerated into the same miserable pushing as our friends on the right. As Manu Chao prepared, we found ourselves fighting for every inch of ground. I dug my feet in, using my ankles to stay in place, that's when they first started to hurt. Manu Chao, despite a horde of foaming Rage fans, managed to rock the crowd with his high energy set. That's when the first of our group fell. Chad and a girl he had befriended during the wait bailed. Security pulled them over the rail right before my very eyes.

"Chad, no!" I yelled, trying to convince my friend to stay put, but it was too late. So I threw my sweat soaked Manu Chao shirt to him, and wished him well. The move proved to be a smart one. THe Rage pit nearly ripped me apart.

I stood relatively close to Tim and Wayne before the set, but that quickly changed. The organizers showed Zack de la Rocha's sillouhete on the jumbo tron and the place exploded. Goosebumps covered my arms as I yelled as loud as I could, Zack took the stage with his band mates and set us afire with a few simple words: "Good evening. We're Rage Against the Machine from Los Angeles, Calif." With that, they launched into Testify, and destroyed any intent I had to stay a college student.

Wayne would quickly bale over the front rail as a gaggle of strained helpers lifted him up. Tim would get pushed back to the corner and also bail over the rail. I would remain in the pit the entire show. Someone ripped my wife beater off my body as pants and shoes flew through the air. I battled, I battled hard and I did more damage than I suffered, but all with good nature. When a smaller guy in a red shirt with dreads stumbled, I picked him up under the arms and hauled him to his feet.

After Bulls on Parade, I pulled a hidden bottle of water from my pocket and sprinkled the surrounding crowd, much to their delight. But the moment the music started I was down center pushing with all my strength, spinning, fighting and singing at the top of my lungs. I sprained an ankle somewhere along the way, and it wasn't so bad. I sprained the other ankle later, and it still wasn't so bad.

At one point, an afternoon friend helped me stay on my feet as we rocked out. I entertained the idea of fleeing over the rail, but I wanted nothing to sully this memory. I stayed, worried these sprains could lead to a broken bone. That's when they started Wake Up, that's when Zack gave us what we wanted - commentary on current events.

Zack told us every president from Truman to today was a war criminal and deserved to be "tried, sentenced and shot." That includes Bush. Zack climbed the amp as we hailed him, thanking him for the return. Rage finished us off with Freedom and Killing in the Name Of. Epic describes it perfect.

Fast forward to tonight, to my couch. Sure I'm hobbled, beaten and disoriented. Sure I need to force my way back into everday life. Sure, things will be tough these next 10 days, fee of binge drinking and losing control. But I wouldn't have this any other way. I have what none can take from me, a story, a memory, a thing that makes me special and helps me see what's really important in the world. Expect far more updates, photos and info when I feel better.

The Battle of Coachella

2007-04-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

Things will fall apart.

In this sort of endeavor, there's no way for it to unfold with out adversity. We will be beaten, tired and dirty. We will get sick, have injuries and wonder why we came. No matter what sort of disaster befalls us, we will look back at this endeavor two ways.

First, we will think "man, I'm glad I'm not in the middle of that anymore." Yes, five days in the dessert, a 27-hour drive and meshing with thousands of other sweaty adventurers and music fans will make us miserable at times.

Then, we will undoubtedly think, "man, I'm glad I was in the middle of that for a while."

It may seem boring, safe or simple from a distance. However, traveling across country, camping in the southern California dessert for near a week and trudging through a massive music festival for three straight days challenges one in ways we can't anticipate.

But that's life. We're in our early twenties, we have led relatively comfortable lives and we have no excuse for passing up an adventure. As old men, what will be better? Looking back at an April weekend in college from which we worked on a term paper and sipped cappuccino with a girlfriend? Or the time we defied the limitations of space and school to catch Rage Against the Machine's first reunion show in seven years? The most politically poignant band of a generation has returned amid political turmoil, if there's any chance to see it we must take it.

We embark upon this adventure today, unsure of what's to come, but we will survive, we will have stories and we will never forget. This is the Battle of Coachella, a challenge to the everyday lives, the regular and the boring that most of our generation seems content to accept.

On Sunday when Rage hits the stage, we will know the power of what we've done, and the value of living a life outside of a comfortable apartment. Look for an occasional update during the trip, but don't count on anything.

Carbondale man furious with roommates

2007-04-24T00:46:00.000-07:00

A 21-year-old Carbondale man boiled with rage early Tuesday as his roommates erupted with a raucous discussion of a concert they plan to see late this week.

Sam Banda, who moved to Carbondale as a transfer student at Southern Illinois University in January, asked himself a question as his apartment on the east side of town shook with action at 2 a.m.

"Where do you find guys like these?" Banda wondered.

The rare guys he refferred to are Zack Quaintance, the 22-year-old assistant editor of the Carterville Courier and the Herrin Independent, and Tim Dusza, a shift manager at Carbondale's popular Panera Bread restaurant. The behavior that spawned Banda's question befits males of much younger ages.

Quaintance began to shout himself horse just after 1:45 p.m. Tuesday when the Coachella Valley and Music Arts Festival, which he will attend Friday through Sunday along with Dusza, released its list of performance times.

"Rage, dude, Rage, dude, Rage," Quaintance shouted as he jumped up and down, set times flashing on his laptop screen. Dusza, never as quickwitted as Quaintance, paniced and went a few nervous minutes without the set times.

"Where? Where? I can't find them," Dusza said, before Quaintance pointed him in the right direction.

None of this mattered to Banda, who had gone to bed early for the next morning's 8 a.m. computer course. As Quaintance screamed about the chance to see his favorite band Rage Against the Machine, Banda boiled with some Rage of his own.

"I can't wait until these morons are in California," he muttered groggily. The trip begins Wednesday at 8 a.m.

Hip hop's best live show

2007-04-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

The principle problem with a a massive concert line up, is one tends to forget some acts are even on the ticket. For Tim and I, the Roots are a prime example of this.

Swept into the excitement over Rage Against the Machine, Manu Chao, Arcade Fire and other headliner acts we often miss the smaller let glorious eight letters of type on the third row of the Sunday section on the poster. Said row reads "The Roots."

Magazines, message boards and insiders regularly peg The Roots as hip hop's best live show and an experience not to be missed. On the Coachella message board, the anxious masses have named the Roots their most anticipated hip hop act over more mainstream fair such as Ghostface Killah.

Needless to say, we're stoked.

Release the set list!

2007-04-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Coachella organizers,

We need the set list. You booked more than 60 bands for this festival, meaning we have an opportunity to see 60 bands. But without the set list we know not which acts will fit into our schedule. The general feeling around here is that only the Arcade Fire and Rage Against the Machine are untouchable, other than that it comes down to you set list.

We know you have the times. Festival gates open Friday, you have to have the times. Stop toying with us and release them. The run up to the festival has dragged by painfully enough, why not give us something to ease that wait? We need to plan our times.

Also, if I spend any more time yelling "give me the set times" at my laptop, my roommates may have me committed, and that would be bad, because I would totally miss the show.

More than once upon a time in Mexico

2007-04-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

Before Coachella, before the Rage reunion, after the massive 25-hour drive, we visit not only a major Mexican city, but a major battleground in the currently raging battle over immigration into the United States. We visit Tijuana.

Tijuana holds an important part of current events. Many immigrants, more often illegal than not, pass through Tijuana or find themselves dumped there as they battle for a better life in America. Many American tourists, more often than not seeking things illegal in the States, visit Tijuana each year. While a few years back that may have sounded enticing, this time around I seek to visit Tijuana to soak it all in.

What's it like, this basin of hopes, this focal point of dreams being realized or shattered? What effect do American's thirsting for women, drugs and wild times have on this city? I can't wait to see what goes on there.

I've visited many Mexican cities, from the capital, la ciudad de Mexico, la D.F. (pronounced deh effe), the hub of the country, to Puebla, a quaint city southeast of Mexico, that bears the influences of French and Italian archetecture. I've been through Oaxaca en route to Latin America's largest water park. I've sat on pyramids built by indigenous peoples in places whose names hold too much of an acient language to remain in my English-speaking brain. I've spent a week during spring break in the cliched, dullness that is an Acapolco vacation.

But Tijuana, that's a new one to me. I look forward to getting a brief glimpse of the situation there, while I fully realize a few hours introduces us to far too few of the attractions offered in the city. Still, I always enjoy learning more about a foreign country, particuliarly one that has played such a major part in my life as well as the times and places I have grown up in. Viva Tijuana, viva la vida que raro.

Here's a sampling of pictures from my past adventures south of the border. Very top, there's me at 18 eating tacos at a street market in Mexico City with friends. Second from top that's me at 20 jumping off a 40 foot platform at a waterpark in Oaxaca. Very bottom, that's me during Mexican Independence Day in Mexico City with women that like me far more when we can't talk to each other. Second from bottom is me at 22 busting a pinata on the street of Mexico City a few days before Christmas. Next closest is me in the Puebla countryside toasting a beer with an 8-year-old friend.

Expect more pictures from Tijuana on here as the trip unfolds.

Zack "Maddog" Quaintance vs. Anthony Kiedis

2007-04-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Time to tackle the important blog topics with five days left until we depart, such as could I hold my own in a fist fight with Antony Kiedis.

I maintain the ass womping wouldn't be as severe as it seems. Fact, Anothny Kiedis is a 45-year-old man. Fact, I'm 22 years old, in the best shape of my life and have been going to the Rec Center daily since January.

Item the second, Anthony Kiedis is a recoving heroin addict. Fact, I have never used heroin, much less been addicted to it. Fact, my record in hand-to-hand combat is a stunning 1-0 after I won the only fist fight I've ever been in with one punch on Sept. 11, 2001. Anthony Kiedis has no doubt been around the block and won his share of scuffles, but he's also a very rich man and no doubt soft with celebrity and luxury.

Here's how it goes down, Anthony Kiedis reads this blog, and starts to wonder who this guy is who thinks he could hold his own in fisticuffs with the lead singer of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. He calls me up on stage, and we throw down. What else could I do? The crew would have to come in tow. Wayne takes a beating from Flea, no doubt the toughest Chili Pepper while Tim and Anthony fend off the others.

I would circle with Kiedis until he charged me and then do my best to reign blows upon his head while he worked the body. Hopefully this wouldn't affect their set, I think they're a great band and can't wait to see them. But nonetheless, I must wonder if I could take their lead singer. Either way, it'd be One Red Hot Minute.

Concert weather forecast

2007-04-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

Coachella stands to scorch as midwesterners.

The hottest day around here has brushed 80. Weather.com puts festival temperatures in the low 90s. That will hurt from about noon until 4 p.m. It will also be unpleasant when the sun hits our tent at 7 a.m., waking us up from much-needed rest after a hard day's rocking.

We will combat the sun. Exposed flesh gets covered with sun block, we buy $20 to $30 worth of bottled water each day. We spend as much time as we can watching acts in one of the festival's tent venues during the day. I plan to wear a wife beater and carry aspirin during the day, which I will likely eat like candy. It will be fun, but only if we handle the elements. Carrying a large umbrella might also come in handy, given the intensity of the dessert sun. On the plus side, expect to see all of us back with a crisp, California tan.

That is of course, if we don't spend too much time lounging in the shade from enourmous phalic pieces of art that appear to be strewn about the camp ground, at least in this photo taken from the Coachella Web site. But as it stands, Weather.com has a high of 92 for Friday and 93 for Saturday. The Web editor there has even seen fit to put a little link of Saturday tittled "Fun things to do on a hot day." I can't help but wonder if wander around a polo field with thousands of sweaty music fans is somewhere tied to that link.

Time starts to crawl

2007-04-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Six days until we shove off and there's still much to do.

Gas prices have soared at just the wrong time and we're looking at $100 each for fuel, plus another $10 to pay for the oil change that results from all this mileage. I've only collected half of those funds from the crew.

Next, we need to buy many trip essentials. Sun block, car trivia, aspirin, shoe insoles, disposable cameras we still need to get all this. On top of that, most all of us have job/school obligations to fulfill.

I have one more week to put in at the community newspapers I work at. The next six days I have to take at least three photos and cover the high school sports happenings in two rural communities. Being six days away from an epic road trip does not make that exciting. Anthony has much school work to fulfill as he takes classes full time, and Wayne still toils in indentured servitude at the Daily Egyptian, meaning he's kept busy as well.

With all this left to do, one would think time would fly by...not so. Six days, just six days, and the set times should be revealed on or before Monday. That will be exciting.

Here's another photo from the Coachella site of what awaits us when this wait wraps up.

Getting in the wild spirit

2007-04-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

Anthony grew his hair out for the trip.

Raging for change

2007-04-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello, the vocalist and lead guitar of Rage Against the Machine respectivly, teamed up this weekend at a rally against the mistreatment of farm workers by fast food giants. The protest actually affected a change.

Even before the rally happened on Saturday, McDonalds, then the target of the protesters, announced April 9 it would induce the following three changes:

1). The company will pay workers harvesting tomatoes a penny more per pound.

2). A stronger code of conduct based on the principle of worker participation will be enacted.

3). Both sides will embark upon a collaborative effort to establish a third party mechanism for monitoring conditions in the fields and investigating worker abuse complaints.

While McDonalds agreed to these terms, Burger King refused and drew the ire of the protesters. Being about as shallow as the rest of my generation, I paid these worthy changes little mind and scowered the internet for a review of Zack and Tom's performance. What I found was very telling. Most bloggers and even news sources concentrated on the cause rather than the music, which is encouraging.

Persistent readers of this blog will remember the panic entry spawned last month by an erroneous radio report that Rage would reunite at Austin, Texas, SouthbySouthWest rather than Coachella. Our group felt betrayed. This instance is different.

Zack and Tom played for a cause, sharing a spotlight with many speakers and other acts. The entity Rage Against the Machine has yet to grace a large venue stage since the band split in 2000. So cheers all around, these activists affected change and we still get to see Rage play its first show in years. Yes, our priorities are flawed.

Photo taken from NorthbyNorthwestern, an online publication from Northwestern University.

10-day forecast

2007-04-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ten days are left, better check the weather forecast.

We will leave at 8 a.m. 10 days from now. While the weather in Carbondale affects little outside of the pictures we plan to take of us leaving town, why not check up on it anyway?

Ten days from now, when we shove off, those reputable meteoroligists at weather.com report it will be 72 degrees in Carbondale with a 40 percent chance of rain. Geez, glad we're getting out of there. Thats a one in four chance of getting damp on the way to class or forgeting to roll up your car window and having to sit in rain water. It's almost worth the 27-hour trip to avoid all of that nastiness. Let's see what the forecast calls for in Indio, the California town hosting this whole Coachella affair.

Ten days from now, Indio will be 90 degrees and sunny with a mere 10 percent chance of rain. Boo yah. We can only assume that weather forecast will hold true for not only our day of departure but the lenght of the festival as well. That seems hot, but considering the show is in the desert, we're almost getting off easy.

Last minute additions

2007-04-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

We assumed from the begining a few last minute additions would sweeten the bill further, not that the assembled line up lacked anything.

Rumors fueled our anxiousness. The Smashing Pumpkins, of course, rode high on our list of ideal bands, though that seems less than likely. Someone on the message board said Kanye West joined the bill so late last year that his name missed the poster. A simple check of the 2006 art proved that true.

So, with that said, and few days left until the show, it seems less than likely any similar artist will jump on. But then again, there stand to be enough time conflicts as is. We don't need anymore.

This image would seem to be the final line up for the event.

Crew holds brainstorming session

2007-04-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Conflict reared Thursday night in an apartment blocks away from the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus as four friends hammered out details for a trip later this month to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival in southern California.

Urinating drove the main wrench into the session, which was held by four friends planning to make the trip. The four, all of which are students at SIUC, met with notepads, they nearly left with bruises.

Zack Quaintance, a soon-to-be graduate of SIUC, stood alone on one side of the disagreement while Tim Dusza and Wayne Utterback took point on the other side.

"Milk jugs, four empty milk jugs for emergencys makes so much sense," Quaintance said amid the heated arguement. "If we stop because one dude has to take a piss that's bogus and he's a pussy."

Quaintance argued the crew should stock the car with empty milk jugs in order to cut down on five minute toliet breaks and expediate a drive from Carbondale, Ill., to Indio, Calif., which Mapquest.com pegs at 27 hours.

The others decried his idea, saying a stop would not be so bad.

"I guess we know who the real man's man is here," Quaintance said. "And even if we stop at a rest area, I'll be in the car with a milk jug listening to gangsta rap while you guys use the little ladies room."

No punches were thrown, but it was close. Other developments from the brainstorming session inlucded a decision to play trivia in the car, a list of non-perishable snack foods that included pretzels, granola bars and Ritz Crackers and the formation of a partial trip playlist. The four man crew plans to resume preparations once tempers settle down.

Good news for you!

2007-04-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

Worry not gentle reader, we will be able to update the blog occasionally as our journey unfolds. Goldenvoice, the festival organizer, released more information about the camping area recently.

In addition to a double feature movie Thursday night projeted on a giant inflatable screen, the camping area will also feature a full bar with karaoke, a raffle for early bird arrivals and most importantly a computer tent.

In the computer tent, one can surf the internet, recharge cell phones and store laptops during the day. This last bit benefits us tremendously. Anthony Souffle, our crew's resident photographer, practically lives with his laptop. We inittially worried a laptop would be stolen or melted during the journey. But we worry no more.

Anthony can use the tent during the day to surf the web and store his laptop in there as the show unfolds. So why is that such good news for you? Well, we'll have the laptop on the road, which means we can steal wireless from Super 8 hotels and let the world know of our progress.

We will also be able to put Anthony's photos from inside the show on the web, as well as any writing I feel up to. Exciting stuff for you guys I'm sure.

Phantom Planet's California

2007-04-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

We're buring one CD with just Phantom Planet's California on it. We will then put that song on repeat for hours on end to remind us of our destination during the drive.

Is it 2 a.m. on Thursday, April 26? While you're doing whatever it is you do, you can bet we'll be cruising through Oklahoma, windows down, voices up, tears streaming down all our cheeks singing this song.

Is it 8 a.m. on Wednesday, April 25? While you're sleeping or getting ready for the day, we'll be rolling out, probably also listening to Phantom Planet's California.

Sure we could burn a full CD and put this song on repeat, but no, that's not how we're doing it. This song was practically written for a bunch of friends cruising through an ill-advised trip to California. I also plan to eat oranges early and often.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale helps out

2007-04-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

The University from which we flee a full week of class will help send us to Coachella.

When coming out of the weight room at Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Student Recreation Center Anthony Souffle noticed something. Something that would save us time, money and hassle. As a service to students, the Recreation Center rents tents, sleeping bags and camping pads for a week at a time. Wayne brings one tent for him and Tim to sleep in. Anthony and I will rent another tent from the school for a piddly $25 fee. We will all likely pay the $5 to rent sleeping bags and pads to go in said tents.

Meanwhile, we will be borrowing this equipment to cruise from the heart of Southern Illinios, two hours outside of St. Louis, to the west coast. Where about the same lenght of time away from San Diego we will camp with our school's supplies in the designated area for this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Oh yeah, and we're giving up four to five designated class days to do so. Everyone needs to think hard about how to make the system work for them. We did.

Pictured above is the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Recreation Center, which collects fees from us hard working students each and every semester. In addition to giving us a place to train and prepare physically for the rigors of Coachella, the establishment will also rent us tents, sleeping bags and pads for our trip. We pay for it, after all. Photo taken from the SIUC Rec Center Web site.

The atmosphere

2007-04-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

We're from the midwest, where a sombrero on the wall and telemundo on the screen means a Mexican restaurant, where frozen shrimp and boat-themed exterior mean seafood and fern bars typically rule the evening dining scene. In other words, we're used to lame atmosphere.

But the surroundings at Coachella seem anything but lame. We've surfed through mounds of festival pictures, we've watched the DVD and we're ready for all this has to offer. The art show, while none of us really produce that sort of creative material, appeals. The surroundings -- mountains, palm trees, a pristine polo field in the dessert -- are nothing like the area we grew up in where a cornfield or a healthy dose of pines passes for nature.

Catching as many bands as possible sits high on our to do list, but we won't ignore the colorful lights at night or the Tesla Coil shooting electricity through out, making our 27 drive during the last semester of college for a few of us to catch a concert under the dessert sky even more surreal.

Sleeping at Coachella

2007-04-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

Sleep is for the weak. You can sleep when you're dead. Etc., etc.

But seriously, rest will be needed to trudge around the festival all day in near 100-degree heat. With the show lasting until a midnight noise ordinance shuts it down, we probably won't get back to our tents until 1 a.m. or so. Assuming we get to sleep, in a wink, without any tossing and turning, that probably gives up about five hours until the dessert sun wakes us up with some not so subtle skin baking.

So what is that? Four hours of shut eye? Can that sustain our grueling endeavors during the day? Doubtful. That's where adrenaline and our trip to Tijuana comes in. In Tijuana, one can purchase much prescription medicine over the counter. That means we should return from Mexico with Xanax to knock us out at night and pain pills to keep heat headaches and soreness at bay during the day.

Also, Coachella stands to be a near non-stop buffet of stimulation, what with all the music, people and situations we stand to encounter. Adrenaline kicks in, our weariness fades and thing move on...until the eventually crash, which probably hits as we drive home through New Mexico, frantic to make our Tuesday classes and very much fed up with one another.

We've committed to this camping area thing. Sleeping masks and ear plugs will also help us sleep.

Coachella v. Woodstock I

2007-04-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

Never in 1999 did I think many outraged people criticizing the revitalized Woodstock festival for bowing to corporate sponsors and exploiting fans would somehow benefit me in 2007. I was wrong.

Concert-goers at Woodstock '99 complained about high priced bottled water - among many other deficiences - according to many accounts. Woodstock allegedly sold water for around $6, and that was in '99 when one could still buy a tank of gas for under a dollar. At the same time, the first Coachella, which was headlined by Rage, came on the scene that year in August, I read on the message board.

If message board mythos is correct (isn't it always?), Coachella organizers bumbled when they scheduled their event for August in the California dessert, where most things tend to die from excessive heat at that time of the year. But they hit a home run by excluding corporate sponsorship and incidentally selling thirsty music fans water for a $2 a bottle, which is slightly less obscene.

I love to bust this little tid bit out when people warn me about the "crazy high" prices of bottle water at festivals. Given the $2 cost, looks like I'll drop a mere $20-$30 a day on water to stay hydrated. That's better than the alternative, which is dying a terrible dry death with no chapstick and blistered lips. If that does come to pass, please mom, send me off with a closed casket funeral. I don't want to be remembered as the dude with dry lips.

Zack de la Rocha's hair

2007-04-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

Zack de la Rocha, Rage Against the Machine's dreadlocked front man, sports a new hairstyle these days.

When Rage split in 2000, Zack was 30 years old, maybe pushing it a little but still entirely able to wear dreads and be taken seriously. The vocalist has taken the last years off from regular recording and returned with an afro of sorts and a little bit of extra weight. What does this mean for our enjoyment of the show? Absolutely nothing.

We're lucky to see this show period. Rage broke up in 2000, when all four of us were still in high school, some of us just freshmen. Though this year might be a bad indicator, bands that brake up due to disagreements don't often reunite. And they certainly don't owe it to the fans.

Zack could come on stage with a well-coifed comb over and a cardigan sweater for all I care. When he grabs the mic and tells the crowd to please settle down a bit because Rage isn't used to all this yelling is when I start to get mad. Rage Against the Machine produced one of the best rap/rock album of all time in a genre that produced little to no time-tested music. Oh yeah, and they did it in 1993, a good five years before the rest of the industry even attempted to emmulate their sound. While one can argue endlessly about the conflict of advocating massive left-wing change and revolution while selling merchandise, concert-tickets and fattening your pocket with a major label contract, nothing changes the political awareness the band has heightened.

For example, the band released a concert DVD from a show they did in Mexico City. Infused between songs are snippets of information regarding explotation of indigineous peoples in Mexico. The DVD itself didn't inspire me to revolt against my government, that would be insane. But it did push me to learn more about the issue, and awareness is the first step to change.

So Zack can come out without his dreads, he can put on a suit coat and do a dedication for Patti Smith at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nothing changes the music this great band has produced, the message they infused with it and their gracious decision to give us die-hards another chance to see them. That being said, on a sophomoric level I miss the dreads as seen in the bottom shot from seven years ago contrasted with modern day above it.

Navigating Coachella

2007-04-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

Music festivals, large and small, demand much physical exertion by their very natures.

When I band comes on, few concert-goers remain still. Why would one? It's a weird cat that goes to a show to stand and listen to music. So during a performance there's near constant movement.

With so many bands playing, it goes without saying that we'll be forced to hustle around the grounds to see as many of our favorites as we can. That's some intense exertion, especially given the toll of the dessert sun. What we will likely do is take the set times and a map of the grounds and plot our most efficent routes the night before.

While carefully downing bottled water at a pace designed to keep us hydrated yet save money and time in the portable toliets, we will also jump at chances to sit in the shade or enjoy acts in the tent.

Here's a map from last year's show, which is pretty much unchanged from those of the past. That means this is what the show layout will likely be this year.

Graphic taken from the Coachella message board.

LCD Soundsytem and notes on other electronic music

2007-04-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

LCD Soundsystem has released one of the best albums of this year, simply put.

There first self-titled album was good, particuliarly the catchy single "Daft Punk is playing at my house," but this latest release, The Sound of Silver, plays well in any situation.

Driving, making dinner, studying, this album backdrops it all perfectly. It even earned an Entertainment Weekly pick of the week accolade, an honor not given lightly by the publication that is consistently tough on musicians.

Of course all this is relevant because LCD Soundsystem is playing Coachella. They are just one of many bands with electronic-styled music to rock the festival. Others include !!!, Hot Chip, the Rapture, Junior Boys, Tiesto and DJ Shadow. According to the Coachella movie DVD and many on the message board, these acts typically play inside one of the tents.

But until the long-awaited set list hits during the week of the show, we have no way of knowing. All we can do is hone our dance moves and hope we get to see one of all of these acts instead of losing many to conflicting performance times.

An ode to Vince

2007-04-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Without Vince Cicero, a friend of mine who moved to Buffalo, N.Y. after high school, this trip would not be happening.

Vince was one of my only friends who constantly talked about Rage reuniting as much as I did. One night we were blizzarded into a Best Western motel room next to the Buffalo air port. For some reason I had packed a boom box into my luggage when I flew from Chicago to New York to interview for an internship at the Buffalo News, which later turned me down after I flew there on my own dime in the middle of the horrid New York winter.

We rocked out to the self titled album and talked about the implications a reunion show would bring -- we'd both have to stop everything we're doing and go. So when Rage announced the Coachella reunion, I called Vince. The logistics were challenging. A 28 hour drive, a $300 three day ticket price and no where to stay means many problems.

Vince put it all in perspective: "I'll pay $400 to see Rage, I don't give a f*ck."

The saying applies to more than just the money. It speaks to the nature of this trip. What is really worth more, money or an unforgettable experience? What should one value most, the material or experiences that cannot be bought and sold?

The decision was made. Unfortunately, Vince had just signed the lease for an apartment in Buffalo, and crossing the country would be impossible. I wish he'd be there for the reunion, but because Rage has added an east coast date on the Rock the Bells Tour he still may catch them. Either way, without Vince, this trip doesn't happen. Thanks man.

Tijuana Tim

2007-04-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

Wayne leads the field of unexpected and embarrassing photography. Here's his latest opus. Expect many such pictures taken during our drive and subsequent three days of rocking. Without further adue, here's Wayne's extensive photo caption.

When gearing up for the trip, it's difficult to imagine what obstacles we will have to overcome on the road to Coachella. We may break down on a stretch of highway, we could possibly be taken captive by hippies or if worse comes to worst, we'll have to stop a million times for restroom breaks. It won't be easy in the slightest, and much training has gone into preparing for such a journey (expect a montage video sometime soon.)

If one thing is for certain, though, it's that I never want to see Tim "The Tool Man" Dusza make the face witnessed in this photograph. To place this picture in the proper context, Tim arrived after a long night of battling the bread minions of Panera Bread Company. Holding a bag of highly coveted chocolate chip cookies, Tim could no longer resist the urge and temptation to take one for himself. I, being the pesky guy with the expensive camera that I take from my roommate like every single day because he's never awake to use it, snapped this precious photo of what appears to be Tim frightened out of his mind at how amazingly delicious such chocolate chip cookies are. As I looked at the picture further, I discovered a horrifying undercurrent that just now has become a dark cloud looming over the horizon.

In our long trek across the country, should this face make another appearance, it would only exist with Tim saying something along the lines of "how did we end up in Canada?" or "did I just run over a homeless man?" In either case, this face could only bring trouble... or cookies.

There you have it. We mean business about said montage vidoe. Expect it very soon.

Day trip to Tijuana

2007-04-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

We will not miss our chance to cross the border while on this trip. The idea to visit Tijuana was born shortly after the one to attend Coachella.

We plugged Indio, Calif., in to mapquest, learned it was but an hour from the border and decided if we made the trip to Coachella we would stop in Tijuana. We don't quite know what to expect from this border city just south of San Diego. Yes, it can be very dangerous. No, people don't automatically rob you for being American. Yes, many illegal activities bombard tourists from prostitution to cheap prescription meds to cock fights if you know where to look.

But it doesn't have to be as seedy as all that. I hope to speak some Spanish, meet some locals and jump into the Ocean with all my clothes on if weather allows. Street tacos in my belly, the hot Mexican sun in my skin, I will return stateside for some well-deserved sleep after this Thursday afternoon excursion. The next morning begins Coachella and the three day celebration of my college days that end less than two weeks later.

On the road part five: The Final Countdown

2007-03-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

It won't be long now men, just bite down careful to avoid your tounges, stop popping Xanax and feast your eyes on victory, I will say when we roll the 300 miles or so from Flagstaff to Indio.

It'll be about hour 25 on our trip when we cruise through Flagstaff, with nothing but arrival in our heads. This part of the trip should go down easy from about 1 p.m. to 5 or 6 p.m., minus the time change, that puts our arrival right around 4 p.m. Tuesday.

We set the tent up, grab a quick map and haul ass to Tijuana. Who knows though, as was well-documented in the family friendly romp that was National Lampoon's Vacation, many things can and do go wrong in most nation-spanning journeys. We could arrive far later than expected. Either way, we're getting there.

Best Marley since Bob

2007-03-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

Of all the music I've waded through in preparation for Coachella's massive line up, Stephen Marley has wowed me more than anyother.

I'm not alone here either. Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly have both praised him as the most talented of reggae legend Bob Marley's more than 10 legitamate prodgy, there are allegedly more than 20 total. But as I enjoy Stephen Marley's debut album Mind Control, sometimes it's easy to hear Bob in his son's music. Even if this trip goes wrong in many ways, at the least I've found some enjoyable music I was previously unfamiliar with.

Other new musicians I was unaware of before the show but have since been impressed with include: Rodrigo y Gabriela, Manu Chao, LCD Soundsytem (a small part of the reason I must learn to dance, the larger part...chicks dude), Peter Bjorn and John and Tapes N' Tapes.

If this show is like any festival I've been too, my list of new artists I'm a fan of will grow massivly in the aftermath. Something to look forward too.

Rage starts rehearsing

2007-03-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

Rage Against the Machine has started rehearsals in preparation for its first show in seven years after the band split, according to many news reports.

Before Rage shattered, with Zack de la Rocha working on a never-released solo album and the rest of the band teaming with Chris Cornell to form the underachieving Audioslave, the band cut "The Battle of Los Angeles."

I rollerbladed to Best Buy when I was in the 10th grade, bought this album with money from my first job as a 15-year-old cart pusher/grocery bagger at Jewel/Osco Grocery. I listened to this album, appreciated it for the rock and the sound, which even amid many mediocre rap/rock clones (Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, Kid Rock etc.) stood out as excellent and unique. The album went into a box before I graduated high school.

When I woke up and became politically aware, the album came back out. Research was done on Rage, there message was internalized. Now as a grown man ready to graduate college and enter the world of work, I have sacrificed more than $500, a week of my time and much energy to see them reunite. This is my story, but it may as well belong to any among this generation.

As Tom Morello has said in many interviews, during the seven years Rage left us, the world has developed some serious problems. The Middle East Conflict has become even messier with scores of American young dying without cause. The government employs illegal phone taps and detains terrorism suspects for years at a time without fair trial. Latin America is waking, with leftist politicians coming to power and indiginous peoples becoming involved.

Now Rage is back. The latest issue of Rolling Stone praises the band's last performance at Coachella. In 1999, Rage took the stage, sounding weak at first, according to Rolling Stone, due to Zack de la Rocha's laryngitis. After a few songs into the set, Zack screamed "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me!" with the raucous crowd gathered before him.

By the end, Rage rocked the entire crowd with "Sleep Now in the Fire," a song little known by those gathered. Rollling Stone praised it as a classic performance. One can only speculate at the power the reunion show will wield. With 28 days on the official countdown and 26 days on our personal tally, one must ask how long? Not long, because what you reap is what you sow.

Concert-going attire is very important

2007-03-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

The key to an undertaking such as this is preparation, from extensive maps right down to what we wear to the show each day.

The Coachella festival features an ecclectic mix of indie bands, electronic music and hip hop. As such, the style in the crowd will be too diverse to classify. We need to stake out our place amongst those in attendence by downing our own distinctive fashions.

Wayne seems dressed for a concert most days anyway, so no problem for him.

Tim has volunteered to sport Acapolco shirts and khaki shorts a la Hunter S. Thompson. This get up lets people know one has come to party and they will not be stopped.

Anthony's main concern centers around how to take quality photographs within the festival, seeing as press credentials are said to be very difficult for photojournalists to come by and the rules disallow any camera with a detachable lens. He said he'll figure something out. Updates to come.

Zack Q will of course be clad in a white wife beater, black cargo pants with one leg rolled up, and a red bandana tied around his forehead with hair hanging over the top. This outfit is all business-minded and well suited for surviving Coachella.

Photo caption: police at a past Coachella arrest a streaker. We plan to wear clothes, but who knows what stands to go down during Rage's set. Photo taken from the Coachella message board.

On the road part four: The meat

2007-03-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

This part stands to be a test of our endurance, cunning, mental stability and tolerance for foul smells.

Once we get into Texas we have about 900 miles of driving to do going west on I-44. We'll brake this down into increments of about 300 miles a piece. Here's an imagined narrative.

Increment one, happening from about 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Assuming Oklahoma has not destroyed any and all traces of moral in the car. We may be playing Scattergories or opening up about the childhood experiences that made us who we are today. More likely, we'll be singing along to raucous renditions classic rock that fits the open road so well. Hate will be minimum, everyone should be awake. The sun set will charge us as we watch it from amongst the desert.

Increment two, this will hurt. Someone will have to drive from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m., with one passanger awake to make sure we don't die in a fiery blaze of sleep. One driver seems less than fair her. We will in all likelihood break this down into two hour graveyard driving shifts. Just finish it, its worth it considering the things that await upon completion. Also, whoever sticks it out to the end will be rewarded with a beautiful sunrise in the New Mexico morning.

Increment three, we will desperately need a second wind here. A will to continue, something to make us fight as we drive the last 300 miles of this helacious leg from about 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. I recomend heavy doses of Rage Against the Machine to fire up the adreneline, followed by some Tenacious D to keep the mind sharp and on point. Mellow music stay back here. We need power to get us to Flagstaff.

Once we make it that far, the rest will seem like a breeze. Adreneline will kick in, Tijuana will be but a few hours away and we'll be far too excited to feel tired, bored or dead-to-the-world. Knock this down and we have completed the first step.

Photo: Check the arrow, that's our goal, but that long red line must be driven first.

Polo follows Zack

2007-03-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

I lived across the street from a polo club in a lower to middle income Chicago suburb until I was about 12 years old. Around that time, the club closed and the towns people ripped it apart.

The club, located on Bloomingdale Road between North Avenue and Army Trail Road, was owned and operated by Harold Reskin, a wealthy man who helped build most of what is now Glendale Heights. When he got older, interest in the club fell off. Seeing as none of the people in the town could afford to play or care about polo, we did what you would expect. We walked through the broken up gates and stole anything of value left in the place. Looking back, just having a polo club across the street from my house for so long seems surreal.

Polo ranks among the oddest and most elitist in terms of sports. Yet I remember sneaking in through a hole in a fence to go watch it every once in a while. Also the wall that cut off the club and ran along Bloomingdale Road was lined by pillars with concrete horse heads on top. Many called this "Godfather Row" on account of the brutal scene in the Francis Ford Coppola classic.

Now years later, I will travel to a festival held mostly on of all things a polo field. I can't escape this sport.

Photo: Coachella takes place mostly on the Empire Polo Field in southern California. Photo taken from the Coachella Web site.

Transportation

2007-03-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

We must overcome two major barriers to make this show. We've already dispatched with the lofty price, jostling our finances to buy our about $350 three day passes and camping area access.

Now we must cover the 1800 miles, or 27 hours, between Carbondale and the Coachella Valley. Thankfully, we have a massive slice of American automotive to ferry us through. Tim drives a maroon 1990 Buick LeSabre with no more than 60,000 miles on it. It was first owned by his grandmother, who may have driven it on Sundays but not regularly. It has everything one would expect. Leather interior, rust, overly-spacious back seat and trunk. This mighty vessel fits our trip as well as any vehicle could.

Like our journey, this car causes the average person to scoff. What're you crazy? That won't work. Yeah, good luck.

Also like our trip, this car stinks of character. How many people in this day and age drive such a piece? Who would think it's a good idea?

But the car offers much. It's equipped with cruise control and enough room to make sleep comfortable. It's non-assuming. It blends in with the desert perfectly. And like a cross country road trip to a music festival, this car seems more at home in a past-era. We might be safer and more comfortable in a more modern transport, but there would be no glory in completing such a trip in a Chevy Lumina or Volkswagen Pasat. No, we bust the conventions of our roles in society with a Buick. We defy logic in an American made monster from a time when such cars dominated the road, before Toyota exploded into the world's largest manufacturer. This car plays as an important a role in this journey as any of us.

Photo: Tim enjoys a piece of fruit next to the 1990 Buick LeSabre that will send us to Coachella. It may have a flat now, but that problem will be remedied soon enough. Credit Zack Quaintance.

On the road part three: Putting on our O face

2007-03-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

We have decided to leave Carbondale at 8 a.m. Wednesday rather than noon. This will hasten our trip, tire us out so sleep in the car is easier and put us in the desert for sun set rather than the bowels of Oklahoma.

Still, we must pass through Oklahoma to get to our scenic desert sun set. Part three of the trip is not fun. It will usher in our second driver of the day, seeing as we plan to switch shifts every six hours once we stop for gas. Six hours of driving should put us right around the Oklahoma-Missouri border.

Once we come into Oklahoma we'll still have 190 miles to drive on I-44 going west. After doing that for a while we exit onto I-40 still going west for another 40 miles or so. This takes us right out of Oklahoma and toward Amarillo.

Since we have shifted our departure time, our journey through Oklahoma should happen from 2 p.m. to about 8 p.m. But once we get into Texas we'll be very close to moving into a new timezone, which may save us an hour or to. It's important to remember, the faster we arrive, the more time we have for going to the beach and bumming around Mexico.

Photo: here you see our path through Oklahoma as estimated by myself using the paint program. Photo taken from preventblindnessok.com, it was the best OK map I found.

One man with a laptop

2007-03-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

Girltalk is one guy with a laptop who plays songs and puts on one hell of a show.

Yes, it sounds like the lamest thing ever. No, it's not much different from Tim and I sitting around the living room, burning hours of free time and saying things like "dude, check out this song." But some how this one white guy manages to turn laptop full of tunes into lively live jamboree.

One viewing of a youtube.com video of this guy's performance at this month's South by Southwest Music Festival down in Austin, Texas may convince you as well. An unassuming white guy in a hoody, he comes on stage amid a barrage of cheers and camera flashes.

He right off tells the audience he appreciates the photographic interest, but he resents it as well, because this show is just as much about you guys as it is about him. He's not kidding either. By five minutes into the show, the guy is in the middle of the crowd, no shirt on, bumping with fans as they erupt crazy. He runs through the crowd, makes out with female fans and high fives anyone in the vicinity as terrible old dance songs blare behind him. I could spend a lifetime honing the craft of descriptive, entertainment-oriented, hype writing and still not do this show justice.

As always, I find someone on the Coachella message board has captured the situation best. Girltalk sits near the bottom of Coachella's Saturday lineup in small print. This guy on the board slung a statement at skeptics who prefer other small-type acts with guitars and an actual catalog of original music.

"Have fun watching the Frames or the Fratellis or some other bullsh*t," this guy wrote. "I'll be busy rocking my f*cking face off."

After watching this video and listening to a few samples from Girltalk, I plan to be right there with this guy. That's really an unexpected benefit of this Coachella trip, familiarizing myself with different music, artists and forms of entertainment. Tim and I spent an hour last night hitting the myspace page of every band on the Coachella poster.

We learned a few things. First of all, myspace has burrowed deep into the marketing side of the music business. With media everywhere writing about dismal album sales and a shift to the Web, myspace took that and ran. Every artist except one, had a myspace page with samples of music. From rappers, to punk bands to a bongo band from the Congo -- they were all on myspace. There's the future.

Photo caption: a large crowd watches a performance at a past Coachella. Photo taken from the Coachella Web site.

Fighting the law

2007-03-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

This trip has nothing to do with drug use.

Some people tend to think three-day LSD-fueled romp when they hear about a music festival, but the reality of Coachella is that it doesn't particuliarly lend itself to such behavior. The festival happens in Indio, Calif., which sits in the dessert between Vegas and Los Angeles. Our little crew will draw on every ounce of physical stamina we have to survive this trip. Any sort of mind-altering substance would hinder our attempt to get a tan, be comfortable and see as many bands as we can.

Besides, anyone familiar with us knows we are unlikely to candidates to indulge in that sort of thing. I don't drink, Wayne has never smoked pot, Tim is a respected front end manager at the Panera Bread Company and Anthony prefers Irish Car Bombs to any sort of acid trip.

That does sound a bit lame. A bunch of Rage Against the Machine fans crossing the country to obey the law? Not so. Any chance to get back stage will be taken. If someone topples the fence as in a previous year, I'll be right there with them. If Zack de la Rocha's return leads to a massive riot, I''ll be up front. But I need a clear head for such mayhem. Also, who knows what is to become of us in Tijuana.

The Coachella message board also makes clear that anyone found with drugs is out of the show. Driving two days and paying almost $400 to get thrown out of somewhere for having some weed seems like a total waste, when I could do much the same thing right here.

Photo caption: a security guard naps at a past Coachella. Photo taken from the Coachella message board.

Strange coincidence...sort of

2007-03-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

The number of posts on my blog matched up with the number of days left until the show for a few glorious hours today.

What is the significance of this? Probably nothing. It for sure means I have way too much time on my hands. But it could mean something larger.

I take it as further proof this trip was meant to be. First the Manu Chao coincidence. For anyone who hasn't read back through the 37 blogs preceding this one, I bought a Bob Marley CD in Mexico. To give you some idea of what sort of purchase it was, I got a CD-R, album art printed on a laser printer and a note that said "Mas que 200 canciones!" Months later I'm listening to this alleged Bob Marley CD, and I hear a song called "Welcome to Tijuana." The only lyrics? Welcome to Tijuana, Tequila, sexo marijuana. So I of course look this song up on the Internet and find it's done by Manu Chao, who is also playing Coachella.

Then the days left lines up with the number of blogs? Can you say destiny?

In all seriousness, a lot had to line up to make this possible. Tim just so happened to have a car with a mere 60,000 miles on it. A few days before I found out Rage was playing, SIUC sent me a refund check for twice the cost of tickets. Anthony had kicked around the idea of a country-spanning road trip for a few semesters and jumped at this opportunity. After months slaving at Southern Illinois' unreasonably demanding student newspaper, I fell into a job that would not only better my finances but also give me the luxury of time off. It all came together.

So here's to coincidences. Here's to savoring the last days of a college career. Here's to a last hurrah before becoming an adult. And here's to hitting the open road with good friends.

Photo caption: Zack enjoys a piece of fruit moments after noticing the number of days matched the number of blog posts. Credit Tim Dusza.

On the road part two: A state of misery

2007-03-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

For this part of the trip, we stay on US 60 West through Sprinfield, Mo., take a quick switch there and then hit I-44 West, which takes us into Oklahoma.

Excitement should still run high for this leg of the trip. We won’t have made a stop yet, and we’ll be through here by late afternoon. I’ve driven all over Missouri, occasionally with family, once and a while with school trips and never really by strong personal choice. There’s nothing terribly exciting about cruising through Missouri.

This means we’ll need a strong play list during this part. We should be coming into Springfield before 6 p.m. and no where near sunset. Anyone familiar with the state can tell you there won’t be much to look at.

Music and conversation stand to carry us. We won’t hit six hours in the car until right around Oklahoma, so nobody will be fed up yet. Shouldn’t be too bad.

Estimated travel times: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Photo caption: image taken from google image search, black line drawn on by author as an approximation of the route we must take.

Wanye's must see bands by day

2007-03-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Wayne shares the bands he has to and would hate to see:

Ah Coachella, how you make me smile with your vast pile of performers. There are too many bands playing. With that being said, here is what I’m really looking forward to.

Friday:

Bjork, It will be awkward for her to be performing without like a heavy snow drift cascading over the crowd, cause she’s like all cold and stuff. I’m guessing her set will be unlike anything else this festival offers.

Sonic Youth will be my blast of energy for the night. Considering the wall of sound they can churn out, I can’t imagine their set being anything less than overwhelming.

Rufus Wainwright, he seems like he’ll give a nice relaxed set or something fun, it’ll be a good way to have a good time without exhausting myself.

Interpol, since Friday looks like the weakest day, I’ll be sure to check these guys out. I liked their first album a lot and the second one wasn’t that bad. I’m sure they’ll put out a good show.

Of Montreal, simply because I liked their latest album and I feel they’ll give a high energy set that won’t disappoint.

I figure other folks like Peeping Tom and Stephen Marley will be acts I check out if I have time.

Friday’s bands I refuse to see:

Busdriver: If I wanted to listen to poorly done scat music, I’d go back to the Scatman. I don’t like him.

Circa Survive: I tolerated them at first, but they really are just a talented emo band, which is almost an oxymoron.

Artic Monkeys: With only one album and the usual British magazines claiming them as the “NEXT BIG THING OMFG!” I’ll pass on them. Give me a few more records and I’ll reconsider.

Saturday:

Mm I do love Saturday, where I will finally get to see the Arcade Fire play. It’s going to be a great and immersive show. They know how to fire a crowd up.

Decemberists, because I do love that sort of folksy stripped down sound they have.

Hot Chip, I will be prepared to dance to your addictive electronica.

LCD Soundsystem, I want them to play at my house, but Coachella will have to do.

Andrew Bird would be another person I have to see, I love every record he has put out.

Peter Bjorn & John, The Frames, !!!, Kings of Leon are all bands I will have to try and fit in.

Bands I would boo if I were caught dead watching on Saturday:

The Good, the Bad and the Queen suck. I don’t care if the lead singer from Gorillaz and Blur joined up with the Clash’s guitarist. It sucks, it’s lame and they are going to blow live.

MSTRKRFT: I really don’t like their album, nor do I like their name, there is no way I could properly say it without sputtering.

Sunday:

Rage, Rage Against the Machine! Need I say more? These guys and Arcade Fire are my two big draws to Coachella.

Explosions in the Sky. They are perfectly in tune with each other and it comes out on the record, I hear it’s also great live.

The same goes for Rodrigo y Gabriela, barring Rodrigo can get into the country. I can’t stop listening to their self titled.

Grizzly Bear because I love their sound and I love what I’ve seen them do live.

Tapes n’ Tapes. I have shown Zack how great they are with laying down the pipe… heh heh a double entendre. Seriously, their drummer used a steel pipe as percussion.

Manu Chao because of what Zack showed me. This is the perfect lead in to Rage’s set. The energy is going to be off the charts.

Bands that shouldn’t show up on Sunday:

VNV Nation: I’d need a crate of drugs to enjoy this crap and I hate drugs.

Damien Rice: I don’t know any of his stuff, but I hate his name. It sounds like a food platter.

Things to avoid

2007-03-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

Get over it now. Yes, I spend too much time browsing Coachella message boards, but if I didn't do that I never would have found this gem of a story.

Somebody was asking how far in advance one should arrive in front of a stage to get a spot up front. One guy said get there whenever you want and you can push your way to the front. To which another guy said he would specially look for the first guy so he could elbow him in the side as he passed. This did not make the first guy happy. His response? The following, verbatim:

Meet me at the RAGE SET!!!1! Itll be lik Bulls are parading on your head brotha!!!!

We hope to avoid such unpleasantness.

Photo: taken from the Coachella message board. That guy is puking AND punching the other guy.

Zack's can't miss bands by day

2007-03-17T08:42:00.001-07:00

I've familiarized myself with quite a bit more of the music from Coachella, and as such I feel comfortable figuring out which bands I must see. With about 43 days left until the show, this seems overdue.

Friday:

Brother Ali, awesome albino rapper from Minnesota's Rhymesayers label which also boasts Atmosphere and Eyedea and Abilities.

Of Montreal, I listened to their album "Hissing Fauna are You the Destroyer" about 20 times during a recent visit to my mother's house in the Chicago suburbs. This band caught me off guard with how powerful their lyrics are and the funky electronic music that underscores it. I particuliarly like the 11 minute gem "The past is a grotesque animal."

Rufus Wainwright, "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" is a great song, that seems reason enough.

Interpol, the songs of Interpol's I like, I really like, but some of their stuff is just too mellow for me. Either way, I'll be front and center for these guys.

Bjork, watch her performance at Coachella a few years ago under the full moon and tell me you wouldn't be excited to see her live.

Saturday:

The Nightwatchman, Tom Morello's solo project. What kind of Rage fan misses this?

Hot Chip, infectious music for sure.

LCD Soundsystem, "Daft Punk is playing at my house" is more than enough reason here.

The Decembrists, please play "Mariner's Revenge Song."

Arcade Fire, they're about to get huge. Just watch.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, sorry music snobs, they may not be the next indie band no one has heard of, but they have a catalog of great music that will be unbelievable played under the desert night sky.

Sunday:

Lupe Fiasco, he put out my favorite hip hop album of 2006.

Tapes N' Tapes, Wayne showed me a Youtube video of these guys playing a very high energy show in Paris. Oh yeah, and they were walking down the street as they did it. I can't wait to see them rocking out stationary.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela, flamenco band that plays excellent covers of Stairway to Heaven and Metallica's Orion. According to this week's Rolling Stone, they also put on a blistering live show.

The Roots, regarded as hip-hop's best live show.

Manu Chao and the Radio Bemba Sound System, the Mexico City coincidence that brought these guys to me is far too powerful to ignore. Plus I bought their concert DVD is amazing, maybe even rivals that of Rage.

Rage Against the Machine, the reason for the trip. The best rock band of the '90s reunites to bring their political message back for a new generation.

There are also a few bands I'm on the fence about, just because I haven't heard enough of them.

On Friday, it's the Arctic Monkeys and El-P. I haven't heard enough of the Monkeys and I'm holding judgement on El-P, who is cutting his second solo hip-hop album this month. Though I wouldn't call it pure solo because he has guest spots from an eclectic bunch of supporters ranging from Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor to members of the Mars Volta, Yo La Tengo and TV on the Radio. We'll see.

On Saturday, I originally had both Kings of Leon and New Pornographers up on my list, but there's just too much. If they fit into the schedule fine. I don't think Ghostface Killah will translate well live, so he's out. This day suffers from almost too much. I like !!!, but no room. I need to listen to Sparklehorse and the Frames more before making a decision there. That still leaves out Peter, Bjorn and John and Andrew Bird. Curse you Saturday!

On Sunday, Infected Mushroom, Against Me!, Ratatat and Junior Boys have all been recomended to me, but my ears are full enough as is. I really like Explosions in the Sky, Air and Placebo, but I doubt there will be time. Also, Sunday seems like the day to distance myself from mellow indie bands and hear some good hip-hop, flamenco and high energy stuff in the desert.

Damn these organizers and there 60 plus bands. Seeing all my favorites is madness, and I know I'll miss some. Things will have to be plotted carefully once the set list comes out.

Photo caption: a crowd congregates in front of the festival's outdoor stage at a past Coachella. Photo taken from the Coachella Web site.

Guerrila Radio? More like jackass radio

2007-03-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

For the second time in the past year, Chicago area alternative rock radio station Q101 nearly altered the course of my life with erroneous news. On Thursday night, Tim called me in a panic saying the disc jockey on Q101 had said Rage was playing its first reunion show right then at Austin, Texas, festival South by Southwest.

I didn't want to pull Wayne into this crisis, but I was en route to a friend's house and had no access to the net. So I rang Wayne. After a quick net browse he reported that the radio station was wrong. Still, Tim called this unreliable dj, who said he had sources at the show saying the reunion was happening in Texas rather than Coachella.

My night was ruined. I soldiered on to my friend's place, where I was reminded about Q101 assuring Lollapalooza ticket holders that on the final day of that festival last year the Smashing Pumpkins would take the stage half way through the Red Hot Chilli Peppers Sunday set and play a triumphant hometown reunion show. It didn't happen, but what did happen was a legion of fans exsponged anger upon the Chili Peppers and the bogus reporting radio station. How do these clowns keep getting away with this?

They were wrong about Rage too. Tom Morello's solo project the Nightwatchman took the stage Thursday night, and he did have some company. According to many news reports, Guns'N'Roses' Slash, Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell, MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and Primus frontman Les Claypool joined Morello on stage late Thursday night.

The all star ensemble belted out songs from their various bands as well as some material off Morello's solo disc, according to news reports. Who cares what they played. The important thing is, even though they may have performed Guerrila Radio, Rage has still not performed a show in seven years. In fact, Rolling Stone reported this week that the group had not even rehersed yet.

Still, it was a very frightening few hours when we thought the reunion show was going down in Austin, rather than Coachella, and with Rage already playing three shows later in the summer, we had reason to panic. Who wants to see one of the middle dates of a reunion? Any music lover will tell you the money shows are the first and last performances. Now to get to my point, you should all either call Q101 and complain, or do as I will, and boycott them and their shoddy reporting.

Three ways Tijuana turns tough

2007-03-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here are three titles and alliterations for scenarios in which our trip to Tijuana ends in life-shattering horror:

-Tim’s Tijuana transvestite tragedy, thank respected Hickory Record (N.C.) photojournalist Alan Rogers for that one.

-Wayne’s wacky western wedding to a wife with a wang

-An alcohol-fueled Anthony angrily annihilates any and all American amigos

Oh yeah, also I could become the second Zack from SIU’s journalism program to take a bullet in the ass. Few words start with Z or Q. Here’s a picture of Zack Creglow, whose ass stopped a bullet, saving puppies for some reason. That picture was taken from his Myspace page.

Sometimes it's better to fly Coach...ella

2007-03-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

While half drunk and fully under the influence of steak, Wayne recently recalled a tale about a road trip from childhood. Here is what he wrote:

While considering the vast journey ahead of us, I recall a similar trip my family decided to take when I was still in middle school. While it nearly pales in comparison, it still serves as preparation for the trip ahead.

My parents had decided that it would be a wise choice to attend the annual family gathering in Myrtle Beach by driving to the area, which if you haven’t been there is an infestation of both miniature golf courses and strip clubs… something for everyone in the family, if you will.

At the time of this trip, my family was living in Jackson, Mich. It was named one of the worst 100 cities to live in the year we moved away from it. People were getting killed for their Starter jackets… remember how cool those were?

Anyway, it was roughly a 15 to 16 hour trip from Michigan to South Carolina. My father, whose tenacity and stubbornness exceeds my own, decided to take us on a Griswold-like vacation across the country to see these tainted shores of the Atlantic Sea.

The trip was conveniently made in July, perhaps the worst time EVER to travel in a beat down 1990 Ford Aerostar minivan. Think Little Miss Sunshine, but without the fun characters or a grandfather who snorts heroin.

We begin this incredible journey with no problems at all, but the moment we hit Ohio, the van starts acting up. Just as we are about to exit the state, it finally dies on us. There we sat, in 100 degree weather, with no drinks, in the middle of nowhere. For roughly 2 hours, we waited for someone to come by to assist us.

Finally, a kind stranger was more than happy to take us to a gas station some 10 miles away to get drinks and get the vehicle repaired. We continued our trek to South Carolina and had little to no problems, a spare tire and a cooler full of delicious carbonated beverages.

Eventually, we made it to our destination. I played miniature golf, my brother got stung by a jellyfish and my parents drank. The trip back was rather peaceful and problem-free, but I’ll never forget that 20 hour road trip to Myrtle Beach.

However, I now face a more daunting journey. A 26+ trek across the country to Indio, Calif. It will be long and arduous, but I will be sure to bring some spare fluids and maybe rosary beads, so I can pray that we don’t break down at all.

Long live Arcade Fire!!!

Photo Caption: There but for the grace of God goes Wayne, who very well could have had the exact same experience as these characters from Little Miss Sunshine if he had been born of a different grandfather. Photo taken from www.telegraph.co.uk.

Battle for Björk

2007-03-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Two Carbondale men have launched a battle for the affections of Björk, a 41-year-old Icelandic singer/songwriter.

The two men, both students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, will vie for her attention April 27 before she headlines the first night of southern California’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival. However, one competitor has denied the contest is occurring at all.

“Contest? I’d hardly call it a contest,” said Zack Quaintance, a 22-year-old journalism major blatantly attracted to Björk. “He’s going down, that’s all there is to it. In order to have a competition you need two sersiouly viable competitors. He sucks.”

The alleged sucker is Tim Dusza, a 22-year-old English major that works part time as a shift manager at Carbondale’s popular Panera Bread restaurant. Dusza could not be reached for comment at time of publication, but he is widely known to be listening to Björk’s music in an attempt to impress the Grammy nominated songstress.

“If it should happen that the three of us are alone, I can really shine,” Dusza said last month after the contest was first declared.

So far, neither man has acknowledged that Bjork is not only seriously involved with long-time boyfriend contemporary artist Matthew Barney, but she also has a 4-year-old daughter and a 20-year-old son.

When told of Björk’s motherhood, Quaintance responded, “I guess that makes her a milf.”

The two men stand to do battle in seven weeks at Coachella.

Photo caption: Icelandic Björk has become the affection of two men making the trip to Coachella. Photo taken from the Coachella Web site.

Sustenance

2007-03-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Food, the prime thorn in the side of any haphazard road tripper. What will we eat? What can we eat? How can we minimize time spent at rest stops?

These questions far outrank where will we sleep, in terms of importance. Yes, finding lodging presents a challenge, but it’s a fun challenge. Besides, I’ve spent the night in the back of a pick up truck on the highway between Mexico City and Puebla. Wherever we end up, it’s bound to be more comfortable than that.

To battle our appetites, we will shove off from Carbondale with a cooler full of thirty-some sandwiches. A friend who had just ventured 30 hours cross country to Seattle advised against such a tactic, saying his group attempted it and later dumped the food box on the side of a highway in Wyoming on account of lack of arm space.

This poor soul drove that trip in a far smaller car. Tim’s mammoth Buick, while suspect in whether it will survive the trip, provides plenty of space. So we pack a cooler full of tons of my second favorite food (sorry Earl of Sandwich, but pizza tops your creation). Ham and turkey will be our only selection. No cheese or mayo, that’s bound to spoil.

As we cruise through the desert, we will stop often to refill the blue and white box of sandwich with ice. Once we get there, our culinary dynamic flips upside down. Only a fool tries to maintain a cooler full of sandwiches at a three day festival that requires attendees to stay inside all day.

We will eat sparingly inside the festival, hoping to avoid $10 lunches of little nutritional value. Also, none among us want to dump in a terrible, piss-filled, sun-baked portable toilet, even if the other three stand guard outside to prevent against tipping. Eat a meal at the wrong time, and we’re looking at having to leave the Rage pit during Bombtrack to unload a costly mistake. Not cool. Personally, I hope the organizers offer kabobs of some sort.

Photo caption: Here awaits a feast fit for the kings we are. Photo taken from vegsource.com.

On the road part one: Rolling out of town

2007-03-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

1). We take 51 south 18 miles to 57 south

2). We take 57 south in Missouri where it becomes US 60 West.

Leg distance: approximately 78 miles, leg time: estimated at 1 hour 45 minutes, 2 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

This is likely to be the leg of the trip everyone wants to drive. Who wouldn’t want to jump behind the wheel as we head out of town?

We’ve counted the days, we’ve listened to the music, we’ve worked often on a blog to chronicle it. This trip is months in the making, and as we roll out of Carbondale, it will be tough not to be crushed by the excitement. The nearly two hour travel time is probably a bit long, but all these section of the trip entries will overestimate time.

I expect chatter to be strong in the car at this point. There should be decent banter with many hilarious one-liners. Music, of course, will blare from our open car windows as we bid Carbondale farewell on a sunny Wednesday afternoon that sees most of our classmates trekking to class.

This leg taxes us zero. It’s more fun than anything else. We’ll no doubt have some light tunes, but we have yet to tackle music selection. A long, extensive list is in the works. Also, driving duties will be determined by random drawing, sort of like the NBA draft lottery.

Photo caption: Carbondale's Southern Illinois University on a winter day. We're leaving it behind April 25 on our six day journey to the Coachella Arts and Music Festival. Photo taken from city-data.com.

On the road

2007-03-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

We will spend 27 hours in Tim's maroon 1990 Buick LeSabre as we careen towards destiny at Coachella. We must cross through Oklahoma, Missouri and northern Texas. Making matters worse, there's no time to lollygag, because we need every spare minute we can for our evening trip to Tijuana. In the spirit of such an adventure, here are some famous quotes, passages and sayings that are mildly applicable to our trip:

Road Trip is not merely something that college students do on weekends to alleviate the stress and boredom of college life. Road Trip is a way of life, a way of viewing the world around you, and a way of asserting your most basic and important freedom - the freedom of choice. Road Trip is NOT about staying in nice hotels, eating fancy meals, and spending lots of money. Road Trip is about letting your soul fly free on a jet stream of steel and concrete, experiencing raw adventure on the open road, living and driving by the seat of your pants, casting all cares and responsibilities to the wind, and submerging yourself in the exhilaration of life. ~Sir Richard’s Canonical Road Trip Web Page.

“What is the feeling when you're driving away from people, and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? -it's the too huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”” ~Jack Kerouac.

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Road Trip is a 2000 comedy film written by Todd Phillips and Scott Armstrong and directed by Todd Phillips. The film was based on life experiences by Todd Phillips and did quite well at the box office when it was released in 2000. A sequel was planned, but was later canceled by DreamWorks. EuroTrip is vastly similar and considered as sort of a rethinking of this movie, as it was made by the same people. ~Wikipedia, I don’t think this really has much to do with our trip, but whatever.

I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. ~Mark Twain, we’ll see, now won’t we fellas?

Photo caption: A sign instructs travelers how to get to Coachella. Photo taken from the Coachella Web site fan gallery.

Drop the guitar, grab the mic

2007-03-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

Coachella features more than just guitars.

The organizers have signed on a collective of excellent hip hop acts to complement the army of indie bands on the ticket. For every Interpol, Decembrists and Explosions in the Sky, there’s an El-P, whose latest album shows a rare meld between rappers and indie musicians with guest spots from members of The Mars Volta, TV on the Radio and Yo La Tengo.

For the Rufus Wainwrights and Sonic Youths, there’s the Lupe Fiascos and Ghostface Killahs. While hip-hop often translates poorly to a live venue, it will be interesting to see what the festival atmosphere does for it. I’m hoping to see artists jumping in on one another’s sets. Maybe Brother Ali will come out and freestyle during DJ Shadow. What if a rad guitarist hits the stage and lays down some riffs for an MC to speak over?

This Coachella line up has the potential to feature some unique combinations. Let’s hope the artists take advantage of it.

Photo caption: Kanye West performs during last year’s Coachella. West, a late minute addition, did not appear on the flier, but he was one of the many hip-hop acts the festival offers annually. Photo taken from the Coachella Web site gallery.

Bathing, you have to do it

2007-03-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

People seem to ask one question about this Coachella trip more frequently than all others.

Where are you guys going to shower? Everyone wants to know. Typically, I just furrow my brow, and say “shower?,” raising my voice at the end of the word in the traditional pitch of a question.

Every now and again I will answer. Apparently, the camp ground has a shower facility with hot water and individual shower stalls. While the lines get unruly at certain times of day, our only other option is the old bucket and bar of soap.

We will need to stay clean, mostly at night I imagine. Sleeping in a cramped tent with three others presents enough discomfort, we don’t need a tear-wrenching bout of BO to make it even worse.

Still, there is one time I refuse to shower. I will not bathe from the moment Rage ends its set late Sunday night, to the time Anthony and I stagger into Steve Hallock’s ethics class Tuesday morning.

I apologize to my classmates in advance, but there simply won’t be enough time or effort to wash up. Also, I don’t want the soap to scrub away the memories. It’s sort of like when someone’s crush kisses them on the cheek, causing that person to hold back on washing it for a few days.

I will leave Coachella saying, “I’m never washing myself again. I don’t want the Coachella to wash off."

Photo caption: A woman walks away from the shower trailer at last year’s Coachella. The trailers offer divisions for males and females with individual stalls. Picture taken from the Coachella message board.

Anthony's top 10

2007-03-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

Anthony Souffle has failed to write an entry naming his most anticipated acts at Coachella. Instead, here’s a picture of what Tim may look like after our evening trip to Tijuana.

Nice watch bro.

Lodging

2007-03-06T07:28:00.000-08:00

No one talks about it much, but the four of us will sleep three nights in a seven by seven tent. That’s what we’ve planned for lodging.

Really though, it was the most enticing choice. Our other options included paying for a hotel (what are we millionaires?), sleeping in Tim’s car (four men in a 1990 Buick LeSabre with leather interior in the California desert, enough said) or the camping area. We obviously choose the later.

Once again, my friend Vince Cicero, of Buffalo, N.Y., really nailed the situation when he said, “with those camping passes why would you want to go to Tijuana? The camping area will be much crazier?”

If my research rings true, he’s right. During the hour of my day in which I browse the Coachella message board, I have uncovered many stories of the camping area. Several campers tell of drunks assailing their tents. Others speak of sleep-shattering arguments between nearly-nude lesbian partners. I have a couple of favorite camping ground stories though.

One guy, when asked what a Coachella virgin should bring to the festival, advises campers to bring ear plugs, because ecstasy-fueled hippies often insist on playing bongo drums until 6 a.m. I really hope our plot sits far away from those people. Another guy has a story about the origins of an inside joke.

At last year’s show, some guy separated from his girlfriend and instead of looking for her, he caught an act with his buddies. The girl, who spent most of the show searching for this guy, took her aggression out on him after the show. According to this story-teller, every time the guy tried to talk, she cut him off with: “you know what? F*ck you!” To this day, the storytellers fried still say you know what? F*ck you.

Funny stuff. So we’ve bought our $45 for four nights camping passes and we’re all set to return with a series of stories of our own, which will hopefully rival those made famous by the message board. That sounds much better. Let's just forget we will spend four nights sleeping in a tiny tent.

BREAKING NEWS: Manu Chao is here!

2007-03-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System has reached the apartment of Zack Quaintance, a 22-year-old fan who ordered the album more than a week ago on half.com and has spent every moment since wondering when it would come.

Quaintance, thrilled with his day already given the beautiful weather, unlocked his silver, apartment mailbox located just south of the Lewis Park office to find an album-sized package.

Giggling more than a grown man should, he raced back to his apartment, which sits near Lewis Park's entrance. Quaintance found his home empty, and surmised his roommates must be "doing something way lamer than dancing to Manu Chao alone."

The senior at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, who plans to graduate this May, played the album ear-smashingly loud despite being utterly alone. Within moments he broke a sweat.

Local authorities estimate the high energy tunes spread excitement within a half-mile radius, causing Lewis Park residents and local alcoholics entrenched at Pinch Penny Pub's newly opened beer garden to tap their feet.

For any interested parties, Quaintance says a raucous celebration of the disc's arrival will run pretty much non-stop until 2, possibly 3 a.m.

Tim's top 10

2007-03-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

Here's Tim weighing in with some thoughts about the trip in general and the 10 acts he is most excited to see:

Ever since I came across an Internet article on the 2004 Festival, I had wanted to attend the epic spectacle that is Coachella. Two Days of music, art, and sun. It was like a fantasy that was just out of reach. Nobody I knew would be remotely interested in traveling half-way across the country to see a bunch of bands they have never heard of.

Once Zack told me that he was interested in going to Coachella, I knew we had to find a way to go. As soon as Anthony said he was in, making the trip affordable and feasible, I knew we were about to embark upon something special.

There is something strangely American about a group of friends jumping in car and taking a road trip through the American southwest. It’s been the topics of many books, paintings, and especially films. Twenty years from now, when I sit down to watch a film and the opening credits feature a group of friends speeding down the desert highway at sunrise, majestic mountains in the background, driving a beat up old jalopy, I hope that an involuntary grin spreads across my face transporting me back to what I hope becomes five of the defining days of my college years.

10) Ghostface Killah- I’m not that familiar with his work, but I loved The Pretty Toney Album and can’t wait for Zack to buy Fishscale so I can dive into that. I hope he is as energetic live as he is on his albums.

9) Happy Mondays- Due to scheduling issues, I’m probably going to miss out on seeing the reunion of the Mondays. If all is right in the world, they will play the main stage on Sunday just before Manu Chao. I’ve listened to Pills’n’Thrills and Bellyaches, and really enjoyed it, however from their depiction in the film 24 Hour Party People, their live shows look to be an absolute blast.

8) Decemberists- Whenever I hear Collin Melloy’s voice, my mind is instantly transported to 19th century Europe, and I am very curious to see if this is true at a live performance.

7) Interpol- There aren’t many albums out there that I consider perfect, but Interpol’s debut Turn on the Bright Lights, is up there. I’m not sure how their music is going to play to a festival crowd, but I know I can’t wait to find out.

6) New Pornographers- The fact that the New Pornographers, one of my favorite and most listened to bands, only makes number six on my list just shows of strong this line-up is. The band has perfected their studio sound, and while I am curious to see how it translates to the stage, I pray that the full line-up is present at Coachella. I could listen to Neko Case sing all day, and though I’ll be happy listening to A.C. Newman and company, I’ll be very disappointed if Neko’s majestic and powerful voice is absent.

5) Sonic Youth- Even having listened to it hundreds of times, “Teenage Riot” still makes me feel warm and fuzzy from beginning to end. Simply put, Daydream Nation changed my life. It was one of the first “indie” albums I ever purchased. If marijuana is a gateway drug, then Daydream Nation, along with Pavement’s Slanted and Enchanted were my gateway albums. They led me to a world of broader and more challenging music that I never would have discovered without them. The Yoof are older than I am, and despite the fact that I haven’t kept up with their entire catalogue, seeing them live has always been a goal of mine.

4) Bjork- I actually feel somewhat embarrassed about not being familiar with Bjork’s work. For years I have heard critics lavish praise upon her, but for whatever reason I simply never made an attempt to familiarize myself with her music. After listening to her first three solo albums pretty much non-stop for the last 3 weeks though, I can safely say that Bjork has me hooked. While it won’t be a full moon on Friday night, I pray that the night is as majestic as Bjork’s music.

3) Arcade Fire- Almost two years ago, I discovered a little album called Funeral that instantly grabbed me and still hasn’t let go. Still, some of the material on Funeral doesn’t seem as though it could transfer to the festival atmosphere. Fortunately, the yet to be released Neon Bible is full of mostly high energy and up-tempo tracks, and while the album doesn’t pack the same emotional punch that Funeral did, there is no doubt in my mind that these tracks sound spectacular live.

2) Manu Chao- Six weeks ago, if you had uttered the two words “Manu Chao”, I would have stared at you blankly and thought that you were possibly speaking Portuguese. Since that time however, the man (and his band) have become a borderline obsession. The only foil in my attempt to learn more about the man is his impossible to manage Web site.

1) Rage Against the Machine- This really needs no explanation. Quite simply, without Rage, this trip isn’t happening. They are the reason why I plan to skip a week of school, put 3,600 miles on my car in 5 days, and plan to risk physical (and emotional) health in Tijuana. For as long as I have known Zack, we have dreamed of a Rage reunion.

Wayne's top 10

2007-03-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

Wayne Utterback wrote the following text after I asked him for a post about his 10 favorite Coachella acts. Rage no. 2? I may never look at him the same again:

At the behest of Monsieur Quaintance, I have assembled the top 10 bands that I indulge with my presence Coachella.

10. Peter, Bjorn & John- The beauty of Coachella is to see bands you’ve only heard a little bit from. Take PB & J as a great example. They just released “Writer’s Block” to much critical acclaim. Now is my chance to see if they live up to the hype.

9. Hot Chip- Fun electronic infused pop straight outta London! These guys put on a crazy and fun show. I’ll be sure to put on the whitest of dance moves during their stage time.

8. Explosions in the Sky- If this band sounds as good as they are on their recordings, I’m going to be utterly blown away (hehe I said “utterly”.) These technically proficient Texas performers prove that you don’t have to have lyrics to say something.

7. Grizzly Bear- All I can say is search Youtube for their performances with director
”Lablogotheque.” Yeah… they can sing in a bathroom, think of how great they will sound in California.

6. Rufus Wainwright- I was smitten by Wainwright’s music the moment I heard his cover of the Beatles “Across the Universe,” and he’s only continued to amaze with each record. I have a feeling his performance will be a good time to be had by all.

5. The Decemberists- The Decemberists have been picking up steam lately with their latest release. They’ve been on the Colbert Report! I’ve always enjoyed their music, especially “Picaresque.” If they don’t play “Eli, The Barrow Boy” I’m going to punch all of them.

4. Sonic Youth- Thurston Moore and Co. have been a band that always captured my attention. With “Daydream Nation” they truly brought the grunge sound to the world, though Nirvana was the first to really mark major financial success with it. In fact, last year it was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry, so yeah, they are important. Their latest album “Rather Ripped” rules too.

3. Bjork- Really Arcade Fire and Rage stand about the same along with Bjork. All three are playing on separate days, probably near the end of the day. All three will be performances I will never forget. Bjork will be the most unique of the three. She’s odd, she’s adorable and above all, Icelandic. I’ve always been a fan of her records and loved her videos, especially those with Michel Gondry and Chris Cunningham. I have a feeling that her presence alone will be awe-inspiring.

2. Rage Against the Machine- What can I say about Rage that isn’t already known? The most influential period of my life (high school) rotated around Rage, Soundgarden and Tool. These bands defined what music was to me. Rage, however, was always the most definitive of the three. Always with an important message, always getting in your face and always being unapologetic with what they said. When I and thousands of others scream “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me,” in unison, I’ll feel like I’m right where I belong.

1. Arcade Fire- I know, I know… it’s blasphemy to put Arcade Fire before Rage Against the Machine, but hear me out. Since the Arcade Fire released their first self titled EP, I’ve been in love with them. I have a severe man crush on Win Butler because he does what I wish I could; make important music while dressing like he is attending a funeral. I’ve missed so many opportunities to see this band. The first time I was to see them, my ride bailed on me. The second time I was to see them; I was told I had to work or be fired. After such a long and arduous journey, I shall see them at Coachella. All will be well in the world of Wayne.

Zack's top 10

2007-03-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

Here are the top 10 acts I'm most excited about seeing and some brief commentary about each:

10). Brother Ali, I kind of saw him once before. It was during my second and final year of junior college up near Chicago. I got hammered in my friend's car on the way to the show and had no idea Brother Ali was even performing. I familiarized myself with his work after I ran out of Atmosphere albums. He's an albino Muslim that plays on the same label as Atmosphere. His lyrics are also far better than Slug's, no surprise there. He was opening for Atmosphere actually when I got too drunk to realize he was on. I do, however, remember we went to Taco Bell after the show and pissed off the drive thru line when we started throwing empties out of the driver's side window. I really don't miss drinking.

9). The Red Hot Chili Peppers, I've been a fan of these guys since I heard Under the Bridge when I was in fifth grade or so. While I realize they are like any other commercial band, I still can't help enjoy their music. The band's latest double disc album has worn its way into my stereo. The lyrics aren't particularly deep, mostly stuff about Cali, but the music just makes me feel good.

8). The Nightwatchman, more out of curiosity than anything else. His fist single plays on my myspace page. Tom Morello plays guitar like few others and his guttural vocals bring even more depth to the sound on the first track. What I'm most interested in here is the political message he fuses to the Nightwatchman. Even if it's just an expansion to Rage's message, I'm still very interested. This guy has a degree from Harvard.

7.) The New Pornographers, Coachella has inspired me to familiarize myself with as much of its line up as I can. Thanks to Wayne and Tim, I've gotten my hands on much of the music and given almost all of it a quick listen through. This band really jumped out at me with its catchy melodies and feel-good, quasi-pop sound.

6). The Roots, The media often touts this band as hip-hops best live show. These guys are pretty infectious on their albums. I can't wait to see what they do in person. Plus they often feature Razel, one of the world's best beat boxers. I'd really like to see him live.

5). Bjork, another act I've gotten to know recently. She plays last on Friday, the first day of the festival. I can't think of a better way to cap our first full day in the desert than with Bjork's melodic performance. I hope it's a beautiful night.

4). Lupe Fiasco, the best new rap artist I've heard in I don't know how long. Food and Liquor could be my favorite album from last year. A Chicagoan and a skater, there's a lot for me to like about Lupe. Also, his lyrics are far smarter than most commercial hip hop I've heard as of late. His name is very small on the flier for Sunday, meaning we could see him early in the day with a manageable crowd. That'd be ideal.

3). The Arcade Fire, just listen to their music. I had their first album, Funeral, still on heavy rotation in my car and home when I got my hands on their sophomore effort, Neon Bible. That disc is spinning all day every day. A seven-member group from Canada, the Arcade Fire has wowed me more than any other indie band. I've watched youtube videos of their performance last year at Coachella as the desert sun set. It looked amazing, and rumor has it they will be playing at dusk again this year.

2). Manu Chao, please refer to the many other posts about why I'm excited for this guy. All I can say here is I'm impatiently waiting for the album and concert DVD of his I ordered off half.com to get here, and it's killing me.

1). Rage Against the Machine, the band that inspired this trip. I will camp in front of the main stage all day if it means being up front when these guys come on. Rumor has it, the last three acts on that stage will be Roots, Manu Chao and then Rage. I must devise a way to go to the bathroom and eat without moving from that stage.

How long? Too long.

2007-03-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

We’re in pain. Every second that still must tick off the Coachella countdown clock kills us. We’ve all coped in different ways.

I use this blog as therapy. The blog updates every morning. So when I find myself grimacing at the massive amount of time separating us from Coachella, I remind myself I still have more than 50 blogs to right.

My mind wanders away from the countdown. I conceptualize more blogs, I surf the Web for Coachella-related images and I wonder who all reads this daily.

Tim has added a Coachella countdown widget to his computer. At first, one would think this would seems foolish for someone trying to avoid being overwhelmed by a huge countdown. But one doesn’t know us. The widget just saves time. Without it, we would trudge to Coachella.com for our countdown. That’s more work and it makes the let down more severe when you eventually find out there’s still 58 days left.

Tim handles the countdown by breaking it into pieces. He can often be heard saying “we just have to get to spring break and we’ll go from there.” It’ll be interesting to see what happens when spring break comes and goes.

Anthony, he’s a busy guy, so the wait doesn’t hit him as hard. But we keep reminding him how long is left. And Wayne, I’m sure he savors the time until we go, rubbing his tickets in everyone’s face. He has photocopies taped to the top of his briefcase. Go ahead pick up your jaw and stop being shocked. That’s right, Wayne carries a briefcase.

As I prepare this post, 56 days stand between us and Coachella. Feels like I'm stuck in the world's most snarled traffic jam.

The long trip home

2007-03-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

In my mind, little rests beyond Coachella.

I understand I will return to Carbondale for two weeks, finish up my time as assistant editor of the Herrin Independent and Carterville Courier, and leave southern Illinois forever with a degree in journalism.

As it stands, I’m contractually obligated to be in St. Petersburg from June 3 through July 17 for a summer fellowship program many describe as journalism boot camp. But all this seems vague to me. In my minds eye, only Coachella is sharp.

My college career, much like the rest of my life, featured few conventional events. For the first two years, I attended a community college. I went to class for two hours each morning, drove to Panera Bread, changed into my uniform in the parking lot and worked a full day. I wasn’t a college student. There were no frat parties, no one night trists with women I barely knew and no extra curricular activities. Instead I spent my days selling soup, speaking Spanish to co-workers and writing in a journal most nights when homework was done.

I transferred to Southern Illinois University Carbondale three years ago, mostly because they were the only school in the state that would accept me and also offered a journalism major and creative writing minor. While I have since swapped creative writing for Spanish, that is what drew me here. Once I arrived I fell into a very serious relationship and a very serious job at the school paper. Between these two endeavors, I had no time for the typical college lifestyle.

This trip to Coachella is my way of making up for lost time. I have quit drinking and don’t plan to indulge on this trip. To me, there’s something far more beautiful, far more relaxing and much more special about sitting sober in a packed festival watching a band spill their personal material as a scorching southern California sun sets behind them. Surrounded by good friends, where could I possibly go after that?

The trip home scares me. I’ll be tired and energized at the same time. I’ll have two weeks business left to handle, but no certainties after that. If only my transition into real life could be as simple, beautiful and pure as a five day, cross-country trip with three good friends to see a favorite band from my youth reunite.

But something tells me nothing in life will ever be as simple.

The Slave is dead, long live The Nightwatchman

2007-02-28T08:42:00.000-08:00

Audioslave is dead. That’s more a cause for celebration than mourning as far as most Rage fans are concerned.

Initially, the death of the odd mesh of Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell and Rage without vocalist Zack De La Rocha inspired hope that Rage Against the Machine would come back permanently. That may happen, they’ve already gone from a one and done at Coachella to three more shows with the Wu-Tang Clan on this summer’s Rock the Bells Tour.

But what is certain, is that Rage axe man Tom Morello, one of the most innovative and best in the business, has launched his own solo project. With a guttural singing voice backed up by nothing but his own masterful acoustic guitar playing, Morello becomes The Nightwatchman.

The Nightwatchman has to be hands down the coolest solo project name I’ve ever heard. More Morello, while succinct and right to the point and my chosen name for this endeavor, lacks the political flavor the act will intone.

I’ve listened to The Nightwatchman’s first single, Until the End. Sounds like Morello has gotten serious not just about music but about hammering home his politics. Morello, a Harvard graduate who went to high school a few towns north of my hometown, shows that Rage’s message comes from more than Zack De La Rocha’s Chicano experiences growing up in Southern California.

Cornell killed Audioslave because of differences with the rest of the band. I like to think Tom and the rest of the Machine got fed up with making music for money. Cornell, who never came across as the bastion of activism, balked at beefing up Audioslave’s lyrics. Besides, no one took them seriously anyway. So Audioslave imploded, Rage rose for a reunion and Morello went out on his own. Not the ideal scenario for long-suffering Rage fans, but a desirable one none the less.

Coachella has Morello scheduled to play Saturday. The Nightwatchman’s album drops the Tuesday before. You can bet we’ll blare it as the sun rises over New Mexico. Listen to the first single. It’s fitting enough.

Manu Chao may save my life

2007-02-27T10:42:00.000-08:00

During a raucous, 2 a.m. on a Sunday night, two-man dance party hosted by the living room in my apartment, Tim and I recently rocketed Manu Chao to the top of acts we are excited about seeing at Coachella – excluding Rage.

I’m a firm believer in karma and coincidences for a reason, so when the Manu Chao song popped up on the bootlegged CD I bought at a street market in Mexico City for about 50 cents on Jan. 2, I instantly became excited about his presence at Coachella. Once I familiarized myself with his work and music, my antcipation intensified.

Forget about our outrageous free time for a moment, and indulge me. Tim and I browsed message boards for reviews of Manu Chao live shows and the phrase “that show changed my life” popped up frequently. One guy saw him in Amsterdam, another in New York City, but they all sung his praises loud.

Speaking of noise, Tim discovered this little anecdote. Kanye West stood to be the most high-powered show at Lollapalooza because the performance marked a hometown hero’s return. Yet West fizzled as 60,000 festival-goers looked on. Meanwhile, on a separate stage, Manu Chao rocked about 6,000 screaming fans. The anecdote Tim found pegs the noise level at six times that of the Kanye fans.

While we are fully prepared to spend most or all of Sunday entrenched in front of Coachella’s main stage, we will unhinge ourselves to catch Manu Chao. But what if his set time conflicts with that of Rage? A very real fear. I can only implore the same forces of karma and coincidence that brought the CD to me to keep the two acts chronologically separate. If my recent efforts to live a better, cleaner life have earned me anything, I would hope it would be to put Manu Chao on directly before Rage.

With a return trip to Mexico seeming less likely given my age and my friend’s attempts to immigrant before June, this could be my last shot at a meaningful, life changing experience for the time being. That may sound far fetched, but go to youtube.com and watch some videos of these guys performing live.

Tim or he who owns the Buick

2007-02-26T08:57:00.000-08:00

Tim sparked this whole idea with one sentence: “Rage is playing a show.”

It took all of 24 hours for me and him to decide we had to go, anyway we could. Lucky for us Tim drives a big, old Buick with only about 60,000 miles on it. That beast should ferry us through the desert in comfort, given the enormity of its backseat and cool leather interior, which will probably become sticky as the desert sun does its work.

Like Wayne, Tim also knows a good deal more about these bands than Anthony or myself. He’s helped me become familiar with the Decemberists, Interpol and the New Pornographers. As per my demand, he will don khaki shorts, an Acapulco shirt and a floppy white hat each day during the festival. One’s concert going attire is very important.

A manager at Panera Bread, Tim keeps Anthony and I fed most nights. He hauls home huge bags of pastries and bread. Anthony and I devour them nightly upon his arrival. Tim and I will also put aside a tremendously violent X-Box rivalry for the five days of the trip. No more shouting matches and animosity after heated games of Madden and NBA Street. Just the shared goal of navigating through the desert to arrive at the three days of excellent music that is Coachella.

Tim also has a race against the clock to wage as the date approaches. As per new American travel requirements, one must flash a passport to cross any border. Tim has applied for a passport renewal with plenty of time. His worst enemy now? Possible clerical error.

More on the car later.

Tiesto draws our ire

2007-02-26T08:35:00.001-08:00

Tiesto, a dj from the Netherlands whose albums sell for a whopping $18 on half.com, boasts on his myspace page that his "career is punctuated by landmark achievements."

Tim and I immidiately hate him. He was on thin ice anyway after we saw his CD prices, the landmark bragging put him over the top. This guy is the antithesis of everything we stand for. He supports: -price gouging and -success followed by pointing out one's accomplishments. Not our type of guy.

Here's how it plays out. We line up early at Tiesto's set, mostly because we are spiteful individuals that prefer bringing others down to actually having a good time. As he comes out, most of the crowd starts cheering. Notice I said MOST of the crowd. Front and center, right before him, stand Tim and I, arms folded. So disgusted are the looks on our faces, that this dude can't even start to perform. So he engages us in conversation. Mistake.

Boastful, fan-exploiting, European disc jockey: "Vhat is urr provlem?"

Us: "Eightteen bucks? C'mon bro."

Tiesto: "I'm vorth it."

We launch into a deeply personal, explitive-laced attack on this guy. He refuses to perform until security removes the "guy in the red bandana and the other guy in the Acapolco shirt."

With conflict destined, Tim and I set about to research what sort of landmark achievements mark his career. Tiesto was the first dj in the world to sell out a solo stadium with an audience of more than 25,000 for two consecutive nights, he played in front of billions at the opening ceremony in the Olympics and according to his Web site, he "remains grounded about his acheivements and clearly loves making and playing music above the accolades it brings."

So he's humble AND talented? Not our type of guy. However, while researching how much we hate him on his own myspace page, we listened to a bunch of his work. Needless to say we will be front and center for his performance, but unfamiliar with his work given the $18 price tag his albums carry on half.com.

Rage to play three more shows

2007-02-25T18:32:00.000-08:00

While we won't see Rage's only reunion show, we will see the first in nearly seven years.

The LA Times has reported that Rage's performance at Coachella will not be the one-and-done the band originally said it would be. Rage, which cited ruthless scalping prizes after Coachella sold out more than 80 days before the show, will play three more dates with the Wu-Tang Clan, which has its first album since 2001 dropping this summer.

That's the bad news. Our trip to Coachella will not culminate with Rage Against the Machine's only reunion show, which would have been infinitly more special than the first of four. These extra shows rob of us of saying we were there for the only. But we can still claim we were there for the first. The pent up aggression will be released upon us.

There is some good news to these added shows. They are in New York, southern California and San Fransisco through out the summer. The romance of ending my college career with an impractical, semi-impulsive road trip to see my favorite rock band lives on. In closing, uhh, no grand insights here. So in the words of Rage, f*ck you, I won't do what you tell me.

The rigors of Coachella

2007-02-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

Don’t forget Gold Bond when you hit Coachella, it prevents chaffing and feels like hundreds of little angels blowing on your balls.

So goes the advice of one festival veteran who frequents the Coachella message board. We scoffed at first. I mean, Gold Bond? I’m the wrong age for that right? But who could resist such a choir of strong-lunged angels massaging afore mentioned area? Not us. The Gold Bond shall flow freely.

Before you judge, spend three days in the desert just as summer swings into gear and the sun starts baking the Earth like it means business.

That’s what we’re doing during Coachella. We will wander through the festival area, which lacks shade, averages a temperature more than 90 degrees during late April according to weather.com, and sells bottled water for $2. We will sleep nights under the cooler desert sky, but just the same, we’re going to bake.

The entire weekend stands to be a rigorous physical test. That’s the bad news. Good news is, we’ve identified that and are taking the proper precautions. Our hours funnel into the stair climber, the elevated track at Southern Illinois University’s Recreation Center and the weight room. We need to hold our own in the pit and during the hottest part of the day. We need to be fit.

I may not speak for everyone, but I ask a favor just the same. If you see one of us wandering campus, visiting the Chicago-area or any other random locale, bump us with force, as the crowds at Coachella will. Spill a drink on us, yell in our ear. We will retaliate with malice during the moment, but rest assured, we’ll thank you for it later.

Some of the festival hoopla may catch us off guard –message board vets tell of portable toilets being tipped, crowds smashing fences and festival attendees defecating near the stage in lieu of giving up a spot before an anticipated act – but we will do all we can. Your help is much appreciated.

'California? I'm in. When?'

2007-02-24T21:35:00.000-08:00

Anthony Soufflé decided he was going to Coachella after he heard it involved an impromptu 27-hour drive to the west coast. The conversation died quickly.

“Hey, we’re going to California in April.” – me.

“Ok, I’m in.” –Anthony Soufflé.

Excitement built for him after he learned the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Willie Nelson and Damien Rice planned to perform, but at the heart of his decision to drop more than $300 on tickets and forfeit four days of class for a massive road trip was the adventure.

A big fan of Manu Chao’s aforementioned “Welcome to Tijuana,” Anthony also speaks often of our day trip to Mexico, though I’ve had to assure him that staying in the border city past sundown will not mean instant robbery. We will walk the beach, see some sights, grab a street taco and steer clear of the seedy underbelly. As long as we avoid cheating the narcos or smuggling illegal immigrants, we should return problem-free. That much won Anthony over.

Anthony, who has interned as a photojournalist with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Naples Daily News, will also document our trip in a more concrete way than this daily blog. He will photograph.

For a man who often sleeps on our Goodwill couch at any and all times of day, he is also far too concerned with whether our group will get the needed sleep in the sure-to-be raucous camping ground. I plan to drag him into the pit during Rage.

The day of D.W. and flamenco

2007-02-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

This man has driven a blue Nissan with no driver’s side window and a busted starter that lets anyone turn the car on, key or no. This man has forgotten his wallet and keys at our apartment and lived his life for a week without.

With a hermit-looking beard that makes one think he’s a second away from pulling the Ten Commandments out from somewhere, this man loves Rodrigo y Gabriela, a duet that covers classic rock with the Spanish guitar music stylings of flamenco. Wait, what?

After I publicized our planned trip to Coachella, I began to learn more about my friends' tastes in music. Many of them scoped the line up, and called or wrote to say “dude, check out X band, they rock.”

My younger brother likes Something Corporate side project Jack’s Mannequin. Interesting. A former co-worker likes the mellow tunes of Air. Not too unexpected. My roommate enjoys the catchy, pop tracks of the New Pornographers. Good, he can burn that for me. D.W. Norris, a sportswriter I once worked with who spouts always interesting and occasionally offensive, outrageous claims as he works, loves Rodrigo y Gabriela, the group that covers “Stairway to Heaven” with flamenco. Wow.

When I watch Rodrigo y Gabriela amazing the Coachella crowd with a Spanish guitar cover of a Metallica song, I will envision D.W. cruising through Carbondale in his busted up Nissan, garbage bag in place of window, blasting flamenco for all to hear.

“I don’t know what it is about that kind of guitar but I really dig it,” he wrote in a myspace message to me.

Don’t we all, my friend. Don’t we all…

Unable to go to Coachella? Wayne laughs at you

2007-02-23T09:11:00.000-08:00

Wayne Utterback became the trip’s final addition, though perhaps its most logical. Of the four of us making the trip, none claim as much familiarity with the festival’s line up as he does.

Calling Wayne an educated and passionate music fan sounds accurate but would also make anyone that has met Wayne laugh at the formal description. Wayne, while tapped into most modern music, also owns a flame-patterned hat embroidered with the phrase “this hat has flames on it.”

Wayne, a Sparta native who currently works as editor of entertainment news at Southern Illinois University’s student newspaper, jumped on board the trip last. With our tickets already bought, we set about finding a fourth person to raise spirits and lower gas costs. I convinced Wayne to go with a myspace comment about the power of Rage’s reunion and an instant message conversation detailing the many perks aside from the excellent line up.

With tickets purchased and the trip set, Wayne often wanders the student newspaper’s offices throwing down his three day passes to Coachella and taunting those unable to attend the now sold out event. He also occasionally visits our apartment along the main drag of Carbondale’s poor student apartment complex Lewis Park. When Wayne stops by, we cook steaks, share music and often watch kung fu movies while proclaiming things ranging from “this trip is going to be so awesome” to “dudes, we’re going to Coachella.”

California here we come

2007-02-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

California has held an exotic appeal for me since high school when during the painful heart of the Chicago winter I would huddle around a television and watch rollerblading videos from Orange County.

I once aspired to attend the University of Southern California (out-of-state tuition equals down right impossible for me), I dreamed of moving to Los Angeles to try writing screen plays (I've worked in food service before and hope not to repeat it), and I still one day aspire to work in that state. So to say this trip means more to me than three days of music and a day trip to Tijuana seems inaccurate.

In high school, my friends and I spoke of a road trip to end all road trips. We planned to finish our academic careers and adventure across the country, winding our way to southern California. While the friends have changed – one engaged to be married, another mired in student teaching – and the purpose has shifted, the final destination remains the same. Southern California, where we will soak up Sun, revel in hip music and learn what it would be like to live as we've always dreamed.

Meet the Tijuana 3

2007-02-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

Don't be surprised if during the first week of May, American news channels start running non-stop coverage of the "Tijuana 3 crisis." And don't be shocked if the mugs they shoot across your screen are those of myself, Anthony, Tim and Wayne.

With this sort of trip, the chance for a major international incident runs throughout. Even as the day trip to Tijuana was born, we joked of such an occurence. So how do we go down? Kidnapped by Narcos? Probably. In a four man brawl with a mob of street women? Less likely. In a blaze of glory that starts in foot chase and ends with one dead, and three of us bound for Mexican jail? For sure.

But before all of that, the logistics must be ironed out. Having paid a few hundred dollars for the three day pass to Coachella, we hope to avoid missing any of the show. The idea goes like this. We drive straight through, no stopping, maybe with diapers like some sort of crazy, love lorn astronaut. We arrive at Coachella on Thursday afternoon, nap for a few hours and head to Tijuana that night.

Ahh, Tijuana the savior of those looking for prescription meds over the counter and women that will laugh at jokes while a paying man puffs a huge cigar. What better way to kick off the festival? Rested, relaxed and with a pocket full of Xantax. International incident be damned, we're heading south of the border.

Also, in the coming days look for profiles of those making the trip.

An open letter to Billy Corgan

2007-02-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

Billy,

It's Zack. You know, Zack Quaintance of Glendale Heights. Yes, that Glendale Heights. We share the same hometown as I so liberally point out to anyone who mentions a love for Smashing Pumpkins or that so and so Joe Nobody is from their respective hometown. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm very proud of you becoming an international celebrity and having grown up in the same five pawn shop, shit suburb I did. Kudos.

Enough formalities. Let's talk business. I submit that you should, nay, must reunite at this year's upcoming Coachella Arts and Music Festival. I see the Pumpkins are busy playing shows at festivals all across Europe. Bring it home Billy. Play Coachella. Did you ever play park district basketball at the Sports Hub? Or grab a hot dog at the second Portillos ever? You know, the little hut on North Avenue by the bowling alley. In case you haven't been home in a long while, that Portillos has since relocated to North Ave. and Bloomingdale Road. Check it out, same great food, new expanded aesthetics.

Oh yeah, and play Coachella, go Glenbard North and show some love for Glendale Heights.

Sincerely,

Zack Quaintance.

Money is no object

2007-02-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

When I was on the fence about this trip, my friend Vince ripped me down with one arguement.

"I'll pay $400 to see Rage, I don't give a fuck," he said. And while not the most eloquent of statements, it was effective none the less. Sure, we plunked down about $330 for the ticket and four day camping pass. Of course we'll spend about $100 each on gas in transit. Then there's food costs plus whatever we rack up in Tijuana. By the end of this this, we'll have plunked down likely around or more than $500. Ouch.

But we get so much in return. Trip to Tijuana, awesome road trip through the southwest, dozens of bands live in concert, four crazy nights in the camping area and the coup de tat, if you will, the reunion of Rage. What kind of fan would I be if I bypassed that to save a few hundred dollars to fetter away at the Gap? Zack De La Rocha would have to kick me in the balls if I submitted to such a temptation.

Rage broke up at the height of their popularity. They haven't played a show in seven years. Tom and the rest of the machine have toiled with Chris Cornell in the mediorcrity that is Audioslave. Zack has galavanted around with the Zapatistas and other causes. There's a bunch of store Rage ready to explode.

So I could Sleep Now in the Fire, or I could Wake Up and Testify. On April 29, Rage returns and hits America like a Bombtrack blasting across television, magazines and Guerrila Radio. With all the other Children of the Sun I'm going with the Bulls on Parade to Coachella.

On the road

2007-02-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

Twenty-seven hours seperate Coachella from Carbondale, according to Mapquest, but we're embracing the opportunity to cruise through America's southwest in a nearly three-decades old American-made piece of engineering. We need to play this cool. We walk a fine line between gorgeous, scenic cruise and four sweaty dudes cramped in a Buick.

With more than 60 days ticking away, we have begun to carefully lay out our playlist. Mellow indie bands to ease us through the misery of Oklahoma. Rage Against the Machine as the Sun rises in Albuquerque. The Arcade Fire as the Sun sets in Texas. We stand to see some beautiful scenary.

The logistics scare us a bit. What are we to eat? How about a cooler of 40 sandwiches and fresh fruit? Sounds good to me. Here's some more stuff to be included: ear plugs for those who want sleep on this non-stop ride, bottles for the urine, Scattergories, an atlas, playing cards in the back and a foot massager. We already feel thankful we have this massive, maroon Buick to ferry us to our destination.

The Manu Chao coincidence

2007-02-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

"Welcome to Tijuana, tequila, sexo, marijuana," so goes the chorus of the poorly-produced song I discovered on a pirated Bob Marley CD I bought a few days after New Year's at a street market in Mexico City. I learned few of the songs on said CD actually come from Bob Marley after I returned to the discomfort of my apartment in Carbondale, IL.

My roomates and I had a good laugh over the Tijuana song, especially given we had kicked around the idea of a trip south of the border during our upcoming voyage to Coachella. We listened to the track repeatedly during the next few days, until someone had the bright idea to look up the lyrics. That's when we discovered our garage-sounding, Tijuana theme was performed by Manu Chao, a name I swore I had seen before.

Where, oh where did I see that name? Bam! The Coachella poster! This guy will play at Coachella, where the organizers have enlarged his name on the promotional poster second only to Rage. Destiny wants us to take this trip, with a layover in Tijuana of course. I highly recommend checking out Manu Chao's performance of Welcome to Tijuana on YouTube. The guy is a gifted performer.

The plan calls for us to leave the confines of Southern Illinois University Wednesday afternoon, April 25. We drive without stop, arriving at Coachella Thursday around 5 or 6 p.m. We refuel with a few hours of sleep, and then we make the hours drive south for an evening in Tijuana. "Welcome to Tijuana, tequilla, sexo, marijuana."

Bienvenido a Tijuana! Bienvenido mi amor!

The Plan

2007-02-18T18:44:00.000-08:00

Some background seems to be in order. Picture this. It's January in the Midwest, cold sweeps the flat land, major entertainment acts stop in Chicago if at all, and people leave their homes to stop at the mall, a job or a stool in some bar with no dance floor and poor acoustics. You want out, especially if you've just spent three weeks around the holidays ridding your life of booze as you bum around Mexico.

You really want out after your roomate's cat has urinated on your bed for the second time in a week. Given that you have no energy to wash your sheets and your roomate spends most nights out, you settle in his room to read a bit of travel writing about the Caribean before bed. Bed, the stalwart of waking, which inevitably forces you to a high school in a rural community to report and write about wrestling.

The borrowed bedroom door opens and with it the chance for a story to tell grandchildren and the promise of a weekend to get you up and cleaning that cat piss-soaked bed. Rage Against the Machine, a reunion show, a late April festival in southern California. Your other roomate utters these words, after laughing about the cat urine of course.

Within 24 hours you have recruited a pair of friends and laid a plan. You will leave the Midwest. You will cover the hell out of high school wrestling if it brings the funds to run. And you will see Rage Against the Machine, the defining political rock band of your generation, play its first show in seven years. You will go to Coachella.

As the trip reaks of utter irresponsibility and implausability, a need to document seems crucial. This blog stands to do just that. Check back often for updates, pictures and randomness associated with this idea and this trip.