The best of BottleRock's and Coachella's 2015 lineups.

2015 marks the 16th year Coachella will bring more than half a million out to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California for back-to-back weeks of three-day endurance tests (April 10-12 and April 17-19) fueled by designer drugs, bikinis and popular music (around 200 acts). First weekend general admission tickets are sold out, but first weekend VIP tickets are on sale now and second weekend general admission and VIP are both available and on sale now.

Meanwhile, less than a month after Coachella (May 29-31), a few hundred miles north, festival newbie BottleRock will kick off its third year of music (over 65 acts), food (over 35 vendors) and drink (over 20 vineyards represented) in Napa, California (tickets on sale 10am Jan. 10).

Other than Jack White, I'm not really feeling Coachella's lineup this year. Drake and AC/DC? Really? Reading through the dozens of additional acts, there are several I'd recommend checking out if you're going to brave the synthetic desert. Here are my top five:

Tame Impala: Probably the best modern-day psych-rock outfit out there. The Aussie outfit's first two records are listenable from start to finish, which is helping to build a lot of anticipation for their third go-around, expected to be released some time this year.   

Ride: One of the greatest of all ’90s shoegazers are still known for putting on some unforgettable live shows.

Cloud Nothings: This Cleveland punk rock trio released its third record Here and Nowhere Else last April Fool's Day, but it was far from a joke. Their concise, eight-song album is infectious, accessible and leaves you thirsty for more.

Father John Misty: When the former Fleet Fox, Josh Tillman, morphed into the solo operation Father John Misty an outpour of hilariously honest prose followed. His 2012 debut Fear Fun was one of the year's best and his forthcoming I Love You, Honeybear (out Feb. 10, 2015) may even be better. 

Built to Spill: The Boise, Idaho group's Keep it Like a Secret and Perfect From Now On are so brilliant, they really don't need to make one more record. But the guitar-centric indie band continues churning out gems. They also put on one hell of a live performance. 

BottleRock's headlining slots—No Doubt, Imagine Dragons and Robert Plant—don't do much for me either, other than The Avett Brothers, who I love, but don't think qualify as a headlining act for a major music festival. I think this lineup is the weakest of all three years of BottleRock. Here are my top five for the Napa gathering:

Gipsy Kings: This collective from southern France, who perform in Spanish, have been a world music fixture since the late ’70s. They're take on "Hotel California" is better than The Eagles' original version. 

Public Enemy: Still regarded as one of the greatest rap groups of all time, Chuck D delivers lyrical gold coated in political unrest. "Fight the Power" still resonates.

Los Lobos: Since the early ’70s, the East L.A. outfit has been defining and redefining Chicano rock. Frontman David Hidalgo has led the group to multiple Grammy wins and a live show that still rocks just as hard as it did back in 1973.

Lettuce: The fact that the Boston funk-jam mash-up has been around for more than 20 years, but has only four records to their credit, two of which are recordings of live shows, says it all: The eight-person collective is all about doing it live, and are known for high-energy performances that can go way beyond the three-hour mark.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Since 1963, PHJB has been keeping the New Orleans tradition alive with Big Easy-style jazz. The octet was the first act to perform the Newport Jazz Fest and Newport Folk Fest in the same year.