SXSW in Austin, Coachella at Indio Palm Springs, V Festival in Australia

KCRW’s SXSW 2009 showcase featured The Boat People & Ida Maria amongst others, & Morning Becomes Eclectic broadcasts live from SXSW with guests Peter, Bjorn & John, PJ Harvey & John Parrish. If you want a break from music, have a swim in Barton Springs then shop and eat along South Congress Avenue.

Coachella. Headliners include Paul McCartney, My Bloody Valentine, and The Killers as well as new bands such as Friendly Fires, The Courteneers; world music from Bajofondo or Portugal’s Buraka Som Sistema and legends such as Leonard Cohen, Paul Weller and Public Enemy. If you are a fan of The Courtneers but can’t make it to Coachella check their myspace page as they’ll be touring the US with fellow mancunian Morrissey.

V Festival which stops in Sydney, Perth, the Gold Coast and Melbourne March 29 - April 5th. There’s about 30 bands on the bill including recent Brit Award winners Elbow and Duffy, blasts from the past Madness and The Human League, and hipsters M83 and The Do. For new Aussie bands at V Festival check out Tame Impala or The Temper Trap –who you may recall I interviewed for the GGG Aussie Special in January.