Wolfmother Swaps Drummers Mid-tour

Drummer Will Rockwell-Scott joins Wolfmother

Australian rock band Wolfmother is seeing some changes in the middle of their current Cosmic Egg tour. The award-winning band has been through a few incarnations throughout their decade-long career, now containing just one original member—vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale. Drummer Dave Atkins joined Wolfmother in 2009 and proved instrumental to the sound of their latest album, “Cosmic Egg.” Atkins enjoyed his time with the group but, unfortunately, being a member of a successful, festival-playing and world-touring rock band has it’s own rigorous demands

Wolfmother recently announced that Atkins will no longer be touring with Wolfmother, but he may return to the studio with them in the future. Though previous changes in the band’s line-up were spurred by artistic differences, Atkins chose to leave the tour in order to devote more time to his home life. The extensive tour schedule simply was not leaving him enough time to enjoy his family. The drummer is parting ways with Wolfmother on amicable terms and, upon the decision, the band auditioned some Los Angeles-based drummers. Will Rockwell-Scott (formerly of ‘Mooney Suzuki’ and ‘Har Mar Superstar’) has stepped up to the drum set as Wolfmother’s new touring drummer to finish off the band’s “Cosmic Egg” tour. They have a full touring schedule the next few months, making the most of the festival circuit in Europe, the United States and Australia. Find out shows near you at www.wolfmother.com.

when you can only pick just one…

Music festivals are by nature an exercise in conflict management. At any one time, two, three or even four choice bands could be playing at the same time. Factor in a massive venue like the Polo Fields in Indio, Calif. and dozens of iPhone-carrying friends who insist you give P.O.S. another chance (and they’re playing in the Gobi Tent right now!), and the result is an organizational meltdown akin to Lehman Brothers.

Fear not fellow Coachella-goer. Venues Today has poured over this year’s schedule and is tackling some of the biggest scheduling conflicts without fear or reservation. And while you will surely commend our bravery, be aware that we’re not going to hold your hand until 4 p.m. when the real scheduling conflicts begin. If you can’t decide between Camera Obscura or DJ Jason Bentley on Friday at 1 p.m., then you need professional help.

FRIDAY

Conflict – She & Him vs. The Dillinger Escape Plan

I listened to the Dillinger Escape Plan on MOG to help me write this article. In spite of what is an otherwise brilliant band name, their music was mostly screaming and loud sounds. Like the noise you would hear in your head if you were being water-boarded. She & Him is fronted by Zooey Deschanel. She writes beautiful melodic songs that your parents or relatives would approve of. When they told you to “have a nice time at Coachella,” this is what they were envisioning.

We pick: She & Him

Conflict – Them Crooked Vultures vs. Grizzly Bear

Why are you even reading this entry? Only a total baby would go listen to serial whiners Grizzly Bear over the rock god trifecta that is Them Crooked Vultures. You see, Them Crooked Vultures have this drummer in their band named Dave Grohl. Perhaps you have heard of him. He was in this little band in the 1990s called Nirvana. He’s like Jesus, but with a Zildjian drum cymbal for a halo.

We pick: Them Crooked Vultures

Conflict – Jay-Z vs. Public Image Limited

Really, just another exercise in futility. While their sets actually start a half-hour apart, there’s probably only five people who will leave Jay-Z to catch this spin off reunion, and they’ve all promised to send out a notification on Twitter so they can find each other. Public Image Limited is fronted by John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten of Sex Pistols fame. Did you ever really like the Pistols, or did you just buy their album to piss off your parents?

We pick: Jay-Z

SATURDAY

Conflict – Coheed and Cambria vs. the XX vs. Corinne Bailey Rae

OK,  so we start Saturday with an easy one. With the XX’s set ending at 7:10 and Rae’s set starting at 7:00, there’s not much overlap. That pits an indie buzz band (the XX) and a depressingly attractive soul singer (Rae) against a sometimes hardcore/metal outfit.

We pick: Check out the first half of the XX and then head over and watch as much of Corinne Bailey Rae as possible.

Conflict – Tiesto vs. SIA vs. Devo

Let’s just go ahead and cross Devo off the list right away. Yes they are awesome, but if you wait until summer, they will undoubtedly play your local county fair/rodeo/bar mitzvah. So that leaves two options — the chaotic, pulsing beats of Dutch super-DJ Tiesto or the ambient, opiated sounds of SIA. Most festival-goers will make this decision based on the strength of the MDMA they bought in the beer garden. Still peaking? Tiesto is sounding pretty good on the main stage. Grinding those teeth a bit too much? Come down with SIA

We pick: Tiesto (it will be more fun, we promise!)

SUNDAY

Conflict: Matt & Kim vs. Florence and the Machine

Never before have two bands had such a similar sound, hipster appeal and overbearing sense of irony. We’re just going to throw a dart at this one and see where it lands.

We pick: Florence and the Machine (it must be the red hair)

Conflict: Phoenix vs. Sly and the Family Stone

Right off the bat, we’re going with with Phoenix because Sly and the Family Stone barely include Sly. Last time we saw Stone play, Sly came out for five minutes and we’re pretty sure he was attached to a dialysis machine. Phoenix gets points for full disclosure — they’re French, and they’re strangely not embarrassed about it. And if you have a chick with you, she’ll be geniunely more impressed by Phoenix. We can’t explain that one, but trust us.

We pick: Phoenix

Phish ushers in changes for this year’s Coachella

If you’re attending Coachella this year, you might notice a few changes. Unlike years past, festival organizers are allowing fans to exit and re-enter the festival as often as they like, great news for anyone with a tent or RV that plans to attend the April 16-18 event. (Venues Today will have its own 31-foot rig at this year’s event).

The other big change is that fans must buy a three-day pass to attend the outdoor festival — for the first time ever, single day tickets are not available. It’s a system that allows fans to leave and reenter the Polo Fields without a lot of confusion.

The inspiration for this year’s change? Organizer Paul Tollett recently told the San Diego Union Tribune that he got the idea during the Halloween Phish festival, where the legendary jam rock band insisted organizers only sell three-day passes, with in-and-out privileges. Tollett said he was also more conscious of protecting the area’s limited supply of hotel rooms.

“In the past, we’ve had people who would only go to one day of the festival but get hotel rooms for three nights, because they had to, and then spend the other two days vacationing in the valley, which is a great thing to do,” Tollett said in the article.“But we’d rather it not be during that weekend. We’d rather have the hotels be available for the people who come to the (entire) festival.”