It's barely 2017 and music festival news is already swarming. While the big national news is the announcement of Coachella's lineup (hey, not too shabby this year!), it's already come with some built-in backlash: the revelation that Philip Anschutz, the head of AEG, the parent company of Coachella booking firm Goldenvoice, is a right-wing extremist who denies climate change and supports anti-LGBTQ organizations. Not a great look. Note that AEG does a lot more than promote Coachella—it also does the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage and Seattle's Bumbershoot fests (both through Goldenvoice), and it has ties to numerous pro sports teams and venues throughout the country. (AEG even has a hand in promoting a few shows here in Portland, usually those booked through Seattle's Showbox Presents.) The always-smart Emily Nokes from terrific Seattle band Tacocat posted a few words on Facebook to say about why the band has chosen to play Coachella this year, a statement that says, in part, "Withdrawing our spot in protest as one in the small percentage of womxn (let alone queer/feminist ppl) playing this festival that has (for better or worse) a big cultural impact? A better 'choice' I think is use the platform." It's worth reading the whole thing for a valuable perspective.

But! Let us tear our gaze from the Indio polo grounds and look to LOCAL festival news for a brighter outlook on this year's outdoor musical experiences. Pickathon has announced that tickets for this year's festival (scheduled August 4-6 at the usual place of Pendarvis Farm) will go on sale this Sunday, January 8 at 8 am, which will be your first crack at getting that sweet, sweet car camping spot. Tickets will be available through Pickathon's website, but if it seems kinda crazy to buy tickets to a festival that hasn't even announced its lineup yet, pick-and-choosers can wait until the following Sunday, January 15: Pickathon's hosting a lineup announcement party at Revolution Hall. Starting at 7 pm, it's totally free, all ages, and there will be live performances, PLUS you'll get the very first look at who's playing the 2017 festival.

What's more, Portland's OTHER big music fest, Musical Festival Northwestern Presents Project Pabst Blue Ribbon Fest, or some such [note: name poss. wrong—double check on that], has announced that it will be back in full swing this year at Waterfront Park, with the 2017 installment of the festival occurring on the last weekend in August, on August 26 and 27. Coming a week before Labor Day and a few days after the total eclipse on August 21, your late-summer calendar is already filling up.

Elsewhere, Boise, Idaho's super-fun Treefort Music Fest has announced a new wave of bands for their upcoming festival in March. Additions include Alvvays, Dead Meadow, the Coathangers, Lizzo, and a bunch of Portland acts like the Prids, Helvetia, Jared Mees, AU, Aan, Máscaras, Nick Delffs, Boone Howard, and many more. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara's Starry Nites fest has announced that Cat Power will be appearing (her only 2017 show booked so far) and '60s psych rockers Strawberry Alarm Clock will be reuniting—both of which kinda pale in comparison to the slightly baffling headliner choice of the Alan Parsons Project. (Parsons is a resident of Santa Barbara, so who knows, maybe he has a big local draw.)