Not sure if you've heard but Coachella — yes, the Coachella — starts Friday. And, because we love you with a deep abiding passion, West Coast Sound is sending a team of reporters and photographers out to the desert to cover the thing from top to bottom. Together with the music folks at our sister paper OC Weekly, we'll be providing blanket coverage starting this weekend and going all the way through the second weekend.

To get you in the mood…

…be sure to peep out our preview coverage. First things first, here's the lineup, and here are the set times, although we've heard that lots of college students are unfamiliar with Blur or the Stone Roses. Meanwhile, here are Jeff Weiss' suggestions for lesser-known Coachella acts on the bill worth checking out. (Bonus: Also check out Dennis Romero's suggestions for under-the-radar DJs appearing at the festival, and here's our big feature on Jason Bentley, who's performing there as well.)

Oh, and in case you haven't gotten tickets yet, don't worry. In all likelihood, they're cheaper than ever. Our advice? If you're planning to do drugs at the fest, read this first. And, don't go to Coachella on a first date.

Who knows, you might even want to skip the festival all together and just go to parties. If that's the case, here's OC Weekly's cover story on the best shin-digs in the area.

If you want to make sure to catch all of our coverage, meanwhile, bookmark this page. In any case, have fun and stay hydrated!

Follow us on Twitter @brwestho and @LAWeeklyMusic, and like us at LAWeeklyMusic.

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