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Apr 11, 2014 By Michele Yamamoto

Desert days are here at last, and this year, I have the pleasure of lugging around my camera for Under the Radar. Be prepared for sweaty, hurried, incredulous updates from the festival grounds and photo galleries to come. You can follow the excitement on Twitter (@initialfriend and @under_radar_mag) and Instagram (@undertheradarmag).

In the meantime, I’ve done some festival prep to share.

There’s been plenty of griping about a lacking headlining class this year. Luckily, there is hope in the poster’s progressively shrinking font sizes—perfect for those happy chance discoveries earlier in the day.

Here’s a quick rundown from my festival prep, and yes, Saturday is going to be a bear.

FRIDAY:

SATURDAY:

SUNDAY:

Most excited-for-in-the-newly-discovered category

Banks: The Los Angeles-based singer caught me pretty off guard with her smoky vocals over dark and spare instrumental arrangements.

Bear Hands: Not a new band by any means, but their catchy, dance-forward brand of rock has loads of promise in terms of translating to the stage.

Bo Ningen: This Japanese psychedelic noise-punk quartet deals in lengthy but energetic reveries.

Most excited-for-in-the-fairly-familiar category

Neko Case: “Deep Red Bells” was the first song I heard by Neko via an AllMusic.com recommendation when I was still in high school. She’s still as vibrant as ever.

Mogwai: I don’t remember when I first heard Mogwai, but I’ve always been captivated by the soaring orchestral instrumentals.

Neutral Milk Hotel: I remember exactly the first time I heard Neutral Milk Hotel. I was at a wedding, in my late teens, and the bride and groom covered it during their reception. I was completely hooked on the truncated discography, and Mangum was off making music collages. So it goes.

Most curious-about-the-live-show category

The Knife: Recently described the visuals as “Kids Incorporated meets a local theatre Shakespeare troupe” in a good way. This Swedish electronic duo after dark will hopefully leave me with my own, equally-inspired description.

Ty Segall: This lo-fi noise-rock act (assuming he’ll have a full backing band) is high energy and fun but a little on the edge of control.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue: I love brass. And Troy Andrews’ blend of jazz, funk, and hip hop will be a unique interlude between Bo Ningen and Surfer Blood.

Most excited-for-despite-having-seen-live-before category

Haim: The first and last time I saw Haim was at UCLA’s Royce Hall, when Este was still studying there. The Outdoor Stage in the late afternoon is a much more appropriate setting for their brand of soft pop.

Foxygen: This nostalgic indie group channels the late ‘60s with tastes of Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, and Ray Davies, and their youthful energy lends a fresh live take on their psychedelic rock.

Arcade Fire: This show never gets old. Somehow, the many moving parts on stage combine to create a sense of compelling urgency.

And here is a playlist if you want more…