Bonnaroo 2010 Webcasts, Streams & Free Music [Because You Can't Go]

Last night I went out for 10 cent wings with a buddy of mine who is heading to his first Bonnaroo today. He asked me if I had any tips for him. Here was my advice:

1. Hydrate.
2. Make friends with your neighbors.
3. Do Whatcha Wanna.

I also may or may not have emphasized the $1 popsicles at the Whole Foods Tent. I have to say, it was some of the best advice I've ever given. I shared a few of my favorite, "Things I Learned At Bonnaroo" stories, we slammed some wings and beers, and then I promptly skulked home in the rain and cried myself to sleep.

Okay, so Bonnaroo wasn't in the cards this year. Thankfully, there's an alternative to sitting in your underwear in a darkened room lit only by the lonely, gray glow of your laptop, staring misty-eyed at old pictures and clinging to memories of the great times you had while swilling Wild Turkey out of the bottle and listening to "Everybody Hurts" on repeat. There's a wealth of virtual 'Roo experiences available for us to at least attempt to enjoy the biggest festival of the summer without making the insanely long drive, losing our sandals in the mud, getting cooked out of our tents by the oppressive Tennessee sun, and brushing up against 80,000 of our crunchiest friends.

(Yes, I'm also pretending not to miss every single one of those things.)

First off, everyone's favorite pick-me-up: Free music! Via Spin and NPR, we've got a pair of mixes featuring some of this year's Bonnaroo artists, including Kings of Leon, the National, Phoenix, the Gaslight Anthem, Mumford & Sons, Tinariwen, Dan Deacon, the Black Keys, Ozomatli, and more.

Next, NPR is at it again. They will be streaming sets live from Bonnaroo all weekend long, from 1 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday through Sunday, with several sets getting archived for on-demand listening. The list of 40+ artists already on the schedule is damn impressive, with more certainly to come.

Finally, my favorite discovery of this year's festival season so far: Live Video Webcasts! I enjoyed these greatly during Coachella and I'm psyched to report that the same will be happening at Bonnaroo on their official YouTube channel. Check out the full schedule below:

Friday, June 11th

Julia Nunes - 12: 15 pm - 1:15 pm
Neon Indian - 1:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Carolina Chocolate Drops - 1:45 pm - 3:00 pm
The Temper Trap - 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
The Dodos - 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Damian Marley & Nas- 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Mayer Hawtorne and the Country - 5:30 pm - 5:45 pm
The National - 5:45 pm - 7:15 pm
Tori Amos - 7:15 pm - 8:00 pm
Michael Franti & Spearhead - 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Tenacious D - 9:30 pm - 11:00 pm

Saturday, June 12th

Punch Brothers ft. Chris Thile - 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Gaslight Anthem - 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Norah Jones - 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Trombone Shorty - 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Mumford & Sons - 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
The Dead Weather - 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Umphrey's McGee - 7:30 pm - 7:55 pm
Jimmy Cliff - 7:55 pm - 9:25 pm
LCD Soundsystem - 9:25 pm - 10:55 pm
Kings of Leon - 10:55 pm - 11:30 pm
Jay -Z - 11:30 pm - 1:30 am

Sunday, June 13th

The Avett Brothers - 12:30 pm 1:45 pm
John Butler Trio - 1:45 pm - 3:00 pm
Regina Spektor - 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
John Fogerty - 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Weezer - 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Zac Brown Band - 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Ween - 8:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Rise Against - 8:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Dave Matthews Band - 9:00 pm - 11:30 pm

So there you go--all the festival without all the hippies. A vicarious experience nearly as good as the real thing! Alright, I wish I were going too. Who's got my heady Wild Turkey?

The Kickdrums | COACHELLA | The Indio Sessions: Day 3

One more day of Coachella - don't you totally feel like you were there?



Yeah, me neither. But hey, our boy B.o.B closes out the mixtape series and hits the stage tonight (webcast at 7pm!), so you'll at least have one up on your festival-going friends when they come back all "We went to Coachella and ZOMG we saw the next big thing!" and you tell them you already knew.

The Kickdrums | COACHELLA | The Indio Sessions: Day 2

Here's Day 2 of The Kickdrums' Indio Sessions Coachella mixtapes for the rest of us who still, try as we might, can't wish our way to Indio.

I will say that, although I was skeptical, the webcast is more than a little bit of awesome. If you have no plans for tonight, or if you want to change up that tired old pregame mix you've been using, I'd recommend you call up a couple of your fellow Coachella-less friends, tell them to bring over their laptops, and set up three "stages" around your place for a simulated Coachella Saturday. Call it No-chella. You still won't be there, but you'll be able to watch all of the hottest acts unfettered by masses of gyrating hippies and/or hipsters. At this point, I'm not sure which of these two groups dominates the festival scene more, but I know that it's always a good thing to avoid either.

The Kickdrums | Coachella | The Indio Sessions: Day 1

Just 10 miles to Indio. Too bad you ain't going!

Hey, internet! Are you like me? Still in denial that you won't be at the Empire Polo Grounds when Coachella 2010 kicks off in just a few hours? Well, The Kickdrums got your back with The Indio Sessions, a mixtape series featuring highlights from a slew of Coachella's finest - just like being there!

/facepalm

Alright, so it can't possibly compare, but these mixtapes and a webcast series being promoted by 5 Gum (facebook here, myspace here) are all we have. I'll be sure to post the Day 2 and Day 3 Indio Sessions tapes tomorrow and Sunday to help move you from denial through the various stages of Coachella-less grief. Of course, if you're a regular here, you've probably already found Day 1 and Day 2.

On to the weekend, people! Yankee games (no rain! no rain!), keggers, and a bunch of running. What's everyone getting into??