Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian and Death Cab For Cutie are among the acts newly confirmed for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Although the full lineup has yet to be officially announced, a host of bands have been confirming their participation in recent days via their official Web sites. Coachella is set for May 1-2 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. Tickets go on sale Feb. 14.Other confirmed acts include Radiohead, the Pixies, Kraftwerk, Air, Wilco, the Flaming Lips, Dizzee Rascal, the Thrills, LCD Soundsystem, Electric Six, Sahara Hotnights, Kinky, the (International) Noise Conspiracy, Prefuse 73, T. Raumschmiere, Sidestepper, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, !!!, Atmosphere and rap act Eyedea & Abilities.
-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
Up-and-coming pop artist Skye Sweetnam has been added to the bill of Britney Spears' Onyx Hotel Tour. She joins a lineup that already features Kelis. The tour will kick off March 2 in San Diego and close April 10 in East Rutherford, N.J.Sweetnam's debut album, "Noise From the Basement," will be released May 18 by Capitol. She previously placed the single "Billy S" on last year's "How To Deal" film soundtrack (also released by Capitol) and recently recorded the theme for the television series "Radio Free Roscoe," which airs on the Nickelodeon-affiliated channel The N.
-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.
Pop/rock prodigy Ben Kweller will release his second studio album, "On My Way," April 6 on ATO/RCA Records. Beforehand, he will set off on an extensive co-headlining U.S. tour with Death Cab For Cutie, which kicks off March 24 in Omaha, Neb."On My Way" was produced by Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon, Ryan Adams) and was recorded with more of a nod to live band performances than Kweller's home-cooked 2002 debut, "Sha Sha." That set has sold 117,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Kweller also recently participated in recording sessions as a member of the indie-rock supergroup the Bens, along with Ben Folds and Ben Lee. Their self-titled EP debuted at No. 2 last month on Billboard's Top Internet Albums chart.
-- Troy Carpenter, N.Y.
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