We also have a few Consequence of Sound-related updates. Like, for example, don’t forget to attend our MoogFest kickoff party, which takes place TOMORROW! Also, for your tweeting pleasures, we recently gave the Festival Outlook its very own Twitter account. So if you’re interested in instant festival updates, follow this bad boy now.

Everything you need to know follows:

News:

– Coachella’s countrified sister festival, the Stagecoach Music Festival dropped its 2011 lineup. Highlights include Loretta Lynn, Leon Russell, Wanda Jackson, and Phosphorescent.

– Animal Collective will curate an ATP Festival in Minhead, England next may. So far, they’ve tapped Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Broadcast, Prince Rama, Spectrum, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and Gang Gang Dance.

– U2 probably aren’t playing Bonnaroo.

– The Kentucky based HullabaLOU Festival won’t be returning for a second edition.

– We sat down with AC Entertainment President Ashley Capps to discuss MoogFest, Bonnaroo, and basically everything else you can think of.

– Speaking of MoogFest, come to our festival kickoff party. It goes down tomorrow night at The Southern in downtown Asheville.

– Follow Festival Outlook on Twitter!

Lineup Additions:

– Glastonbury: Prince (Rumored)

– Coachella: Beastie Boys, Mogwai (Rumored)

– Fun Fun Fun Fest: Added The Antlers, Washed Out, Magnifico, Nortec Collective; Devo, Crocodiles, and Dum Dum Girls cancel

– Ultra Music Festival: Crystal Castles (Expected)

– MoogFest: Devo cancel

– Sasquatch!: Foster The People (Expected)

– Sweden Rock Festival (Sweden): Ozzy Osbourne announced as first headliner

– ATP Curated by Animal Collective:  Initial lineup including Animal Collective, Prince Rama, Ariel Pink, Gang Gang Dance, and Lee Perry

– Stagecoach Festival: Official lineup including Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Leon Russell, and Phospherescent

– T In The Park (Scotland): Foo Fighters and Biffy Clyro (Rumored)

Coachella’s countrified sister festival, the Stagecoach Music Festival, just dropped its 2011 lineup and as you can see per the lineup above, it mixes the biggest names in country music (Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood) with legends (Loretta Lynn, Leon Russell), a Brooklyn indie folk band (Phosphorescent), and Jack White’s Third Man Record crew (Wanda Jackson and the Secret Sisters).

Stagecoach runs from April 30 – May 1st at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. $99 weekend passes go on sale Friday, November 5th via Ticketmaster. A layaway payment plan is also available. Click here for more information.

The Empire Polo Field is located in Indio, California, which is practically Nevada. While it is only a couple hours away from Los Angeles, the scenic atmosphere takes a drastic change as you move further inland. Everything becomes dustier and much hotter. Parking at this place is like being in a desert storm, sometimes complete with people having to cover their faces so as not to breathe in all the crap being blown around. On top of that, horses are everywhere (as it is a polo field), and this is made obvious by the many stables you will pass.

It’s when you arrive on the field that you are truly speechless. After you get patted down and your ticket taken, you walk through a gate and experience what Charlie Bucket must have felt while entering Wonka’s factory. There is no more dirt, no more allergies, and certainly no more horse shit (even more surprisingly there’s no trash, as this is by far one of the cleanest venues ever). All you can see is green grass that makes your self-conscious suburban neighbor’s lawn look haggard. In the distance (in every possible direction) are mountains that scatter across the horizon, making you more than aware that this is the Coachella Valley. Sometimes the heat can be a little much, but as long as an ice cold water is in your hand, you can enjoy the polo field to the fullest extent. Palm trees are scattered throughout the venue, making you feel more like you are in the tropics. And when the sun goes down, audiences are in for a treat, as the sky turns an assortment of colors while you get to see your favorite bands pour their hearts out.

Each year artists play the Polo Field and are in awe of the scene that is before their eyes. Coachella has had Paul McCartney, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Tool, the Beastie Boys, and basically every other band that has been important to this generation in front of the backdrop of natural beauty. Stagecoach Festival has had the finest names in modern country-pop, such as Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, the Eagles, and Brad Paisley. As stated earlier, Vermont-based Phish held Festival 8, which attracted a clientele of people who never would have come to the Empire Polo Field under any other circumstances. People were coming from all over the East Coast and some even flew in from Europe, but all were stunned by the site that lay before them. The Empire Polo Field isn’t just a field, it’s an oasis.

Once you buy a ticket to a show at the Empire Polo Field, it’s not a one-time experience, it’s a lifetime investment. Ask any Coachella or Stagecoach attendee; most of them don’t intend on going just once. This is dedication at its finest. When discussing Coachella and the current state of music, Perry Farrell once said, “There’s only faith in live events and Coachella is one such place you can put your faith in it.” If you can’t trust the event you’re attending, at least trust the Empire Polo Field, for it should remain green, sunny, clean and gorgeous for all eternity. Just remember, it’s not Southern California, it’s Paradise.

Photographs by Kaitlin Higdon and Matt Gainty.

Empire Polo Field
81-800 Avenue 51
Indio, CA 92201

Click here for upcoming events.

So far, there is one confirmation, Mexican alternative band Zoé, while Pavement, Pretty Lights, and The Raveonettes all are heavily rumored. There is also speculation that Thom Yorke and Jack White will appear, but in what form — Radiohead vs. solo; The Dead Weather vs. White Stripes vs. solo — remains unclear. As always, stay tuned to our Coachella Outlook page for all the latest confirmations and rumors.

In semi-related news, Coachella’s sister festival, the country-oriented Stagecoach Music Festival, unveiled its 2010 bill today. Among the highlights to appear at the festival, which takes place from April 24-25, 2010 in Indio, CA, are Keith Urban, Toby Keith, Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland, Phil Vassar, Merle Haggard, and The Avett Brothers. Tickets will go on sale beginning Friday, October 16th via Ticketmaster.com.

Don’t believe me? Have you checked Consequence of Sound’s FestivalOutlook.com of late? Dates for a number of next summer’s high-profile music events haven’t been the only thing trickling in over the last couple of weeks. Take South by Southwest for example. The 2009 edition of the Austin based music conference, scheduled to take place between March 18 and 22, already has a number of early confirmations, including The Monthlies, TarantisT, and N.A.S.A.

Or how about Coachella’s country-friendly little brother, the Stagecoach Music Festival? Though not set to go down until the end of April, the California based event already has five confirmations, highlighted by Ricky Skaggs and The Charlie Daniels Band. What’s more, a full lineup announcement could come as early as the end of this month. New Orlean’s Jazzfest also has a few early names as does Memphis’ Beale Street Music Festival.

Then there’s the rumors. As one would expect, Coachella is leading the back with a slew of names that either make sense, have told personally told fans of their prospective attendance, and/or have been hinted at my everyone from Coachella organizers themselves to city music promoters. The Smiths and The White Stripes are two of the more high-profile names being discussed, while Hot Little Pony, N.A.S.A., and White Lies are among the smaller acts that all but a lock.

Pearl Jam is the latest addition to the rumors currently afloat relating to the 2009 edition of the Langerado Music Festival, while the Grateful Dead top the early Bonnaroo wish list.

Still, we are still very much in the early stages of this “off season,” and we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of all the lineups that will make up the 2009 festival season. Be sure to check out FestivalOutlook.com daily, and if you catch anything we miss, please either shoot us an email or leave a comment the page.

But before depression sets in, we’d like to point out that there is never really an off season when it comes to music festivals. Sure, most of this year’s have come and gone, but planning for a few of next year’s earlier festivals are well under way. What’s this mean for you? Well, just sit back, relax, and enjoy what surely will be a wild winter of announcements and rumors. Of course, this just means more work for us, but hey, we’re not complaining.

Usually, our constantly updated, critically acclaimed FestivalOutlook.com will have you covered for just about everything. But sometimes, we like to provide nice little summaries – in post form – just in case you may have missed something. This is what this post is. Cool? Cool.

Before we discuss 2009, as mentioned, there are a few festivals remaining before we can close the book on 2008. Most are in the still pleasant south – the Voodoo Music Experience, Fun Fun Fun Fest, and Anti*POP Festival just to name a few – while the latest edition of the CMJ Music Marathon will overwhelm New Yorkers with an unfathomable number of viewing options at the end of October.

The status for a few festivals, such as Bang! and The Echo Project, still remain unknown, but we’d be willing to bet that considering there are less than three months left in ’08, neither of these will be taking place anytime soon. Add into the equation that Bang! doesn’t even have a working website anymore, and well, maybe it’d be better to refer to it as Boom instead…

Once these final few finish up, we’ll have a brief break from scenes of 60,000 people gathering around four stages, while 100 of music’s biggest names perform awe inspiring sets among blistering temperatures and overpriced water. But don’t worry, come March 6, 2009, we’ll be back at it all over again.

On that day, the seventh annual Langerado Music Festival will officially kick the new season off. Only this time around, the Florida based festival will call Miami’s Bicentennial Park home. The lineup will apparently be “fresh,” but so far, aside from a few questionable rumors, we only know one confirmed name for sure:  Robert Randolph and the Family Band.

Two weeks later, the music portion of South by Southwest 2009 will officially get under way. While lineup announcements are still a few months down the road, based on past experience, it’d be safe to assume that those who head down to Austin between March 18 and 22 may want to stock up on caffeine thanks to all the official and unofficial options that will be presented at them.

Coachella and its younger sister, who is all mixed up in that country music, the Stagecoach Music Festival, have also announced their 2009 dates. Coachella will go down a little earlier than in year’s past, April 17-19 to be exact, while Stagecoach, which actually already has a couple confirmations, will take place a week later, April 25-26.

Other festivals currently offering 2009 dates include West Palm Beach’s SunFest (April 29-May 3), the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (April 24-26 & April 30-May 3), and Memphis’ Beale Street Music Festival (May 1-3). And if you believe Alpha & Omega Services, aka the guys who ride around on horses making sure everything is swell, Bonnaroo will take place between June 11 and 14, while Rothbury will call the Fourth of July weekend home.

In other words, it’s time to start picking up those 2009 calenders and saving any loose change around the house. Before you know it, Prodigy someone will be taking the stage of Indio to serve as Friday’s night headliner.

As always, keep checking both Consequence of Sound and our FestivalOutlook.com for all the latest rumors and confirmations.