It's Festival Season!

Spring and summer mean music festivals, and music festivals mean smorgasbords of music from all time favorite acts and up-and-comers alike. The summer 2011 festival season is rife with coast to coast options for all types of music lovers. These six events are our favorites: Coachella When: April 15-17 Where: Indio, California Why: Arcade Fire, Kanye West, The Black Keys, PJ Harvey, Bright Eyes, Animal Collective will all take to SoCal’s Mojave desert for three days of fun in the hot, hot sun. Bring your shades, and make sure they’re cool, ‘cause Coachella is definitely a scene. Railroad Revival Tour w/Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes + Mumford and Sons When: April 21-27 Where: Oakland, CA, San Pedro, CA , Chandler, AZ , Marfa, TX, Austin, TX and New Orleans, LA Why: Less a festival than a cross-country event, the Railroad Revival Tour features two of our favorite bands traveling by train from the west coast to the southern delta, with stops for musical acts of joy in a variety of cities in between. Lightning in a Bottle When: May 27-30 Where: Silverado, California Why: Pretty Lights, Bonobo and Thievery Corporation headline this Earthy, dubstep-heavy festival which also features yoga, conservation workshops and a festival rarity, free water. Lightning in a Bottle is also one of the more kid friendly events on the festival circuit. Sasquatch! When: May 27-30 Where: George, Washington (seriously) Why: Foo Fighters, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, Bright Eyes and northwest natives Death Cab for Cutie and The Decemberists all headline Sasquatch, which goes down at the gorgeous Gorge Amphitheatre, located near Washington’s Colombia River. Bonnaroo When: June 9-12 Where: Manchester, Tennessee Why: Artists as diverse as Eminem, Lil’ Wayne, Neil Young and Robert Plant will take over the 400 acre farm that Bonnaroo calls home for four days of good vibes and great music. Pitchfork Music Festival When: July 15-17 Where: Chicago, Illinois Why: Fleet Foxes, TV On the Radio and Deerhunter headline Pitchfork Media’s annual music festival. Fret not, you don’t have to be a hipster to attend. Be sure to check out: Vitamin String Quartet Performs Arcade Fire Available now at iTunes and Amazon The String Quartet Tribute to Kanye West Available now at iTunes and Amazon The String Quartet Tribute to PJ Harvey Available now at iTunes and Amazon The String Quartet Tribute to Bright Eyes: Beautiful in the Morning Available at iTunes and Amazon The Shape & Colour of My Heart: The String Quartet Tribute to Foo Figthers Available now at iTunes and Amazon String Quartet Tribute to The Flaming Lips Available iTunes and Amazon Ghost:The String Quartet Tribute to Death Cab For Cutie Available now at iTunes and Amazon Rusted Moon: The String Quartet Tribute To Neil Young Available now at iTunes and Amazon