National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

It may not look like it here on the cold, rainy streets of New York, but spring is officially here – and so is spring concert season. Every year April offers up a bumper crop of destination music festivals, and 2009 is no different. Whether you want to dance on the beach in Miami at the Heineken TransAtlantic Festival, mellow out in the desert at California's Coachella Festival, party in New Orleans at the venerable Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Ponderosa Stomp – or go green in multiple cities across the nation with the Green Apple Festival – there's an event for you. We've put together a cheat sheet for our favorite April events below – and if you're at Coachella or in Miami, look for members of the Nat Geo Music team… we'll be the pale, pasty guys blinking in the sun…

Heineken TransAtlantic Festival:

When: April 17th-18th, April 23rd-24th
Where: North Beach Bandshell, Miami, FL
What: Miami's Heineken TransAtlantic Festival enters its seventh year with a focus on the new generation of global sounds with a lineup that includes some of the hottest emerging artists from around the world.
Who: Aterciopelados, CuCu Diamantes, Budos Band, Curumin, Ximena Sariñana Tinariwen, and more.
Website: http://www.transatlanticfestival.com/

Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival:

When: April 17th – 19th
Where: Empire Polo Field, Indio, CA
What: The hippest music festival of the year now enters its ninth season with one of its strongest lineups ever. Enjoy three days of continuous music, camping and the hot days and cold, cold nights of the California desert.
Who: Bajofondo, Beirut, Buraka Som Sistema, Girl Talk, Leonard Cohen, Morissey, The Ting Tings, Glasvegas, M.I.A., Thievery Corporation, Tinariwen, TV On The Radio, K'naan, Paul Weller, Lykke Li, Peter, Bjorn & John and dozens and dozens more.
Website: http://www.coachella.com/

Green Apple Festival:

When: April 17th – 19th
Where: Multiple venues in New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco & Seattle
What: If you're looking for a festival that combines eco-friendly activism with jam band hedonism, then the Green Apple Festival is the one for you. Originally a New York event meant to celebrate Earth Day (April 22nd), Green Apple has grown into a multi-city affair that encourages volunteerism (and getting down) in local communities.
Who: The Flaming Lips, Travis Tritt, Galactic, Cracker, Soulive, Bassnectar, Deep Banana Blackout, & more (check listings
Website: http://www.greenapplemusicfestival.com

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

When: April 24th & 26th – April 30th – May 3rd
Where: Fairgrounds Race Course, New Orleans, LA
What: Forget Mardi Gras – real music fans know that the time to be in New Orleans is the two weekends that make up the venerable Jazz & Heritage Festival. Now in its 40th year, Jazz Fest, as its known locally, is the place to soak up all the great cuisine, culture and music that Louisiana has to offer, from Cajun music, zydeco, blues, r&b, rock and jazz, to file gumbo, etouffee, po boys and beignets.
Who: Irma Thomas, Winton Marsalis, James Taylor, Etta James, Wilco, Dave Mathews Band, Erykah Badu, Hugh Masekela, Terrance Blanchard, Alain Toussant, The Rebirth Brass Brand with Kermit Ruffins, Drive By Truckers, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue and over 100 more acts.
Website: http://www.nojazzfest.com/

Ponderosa Stomp:

When: April 28th & 29th
Where: House of Blues & The Parish, New Orleans, LA
What: Take a break from the more sophisticated offerings of the Jazz & Heritage festival and get down and dirty with blues, swamp rock, rockabilly, roots rock, freak folk and more at the festival that celebrates the "unsung heroes of American music".
Who: Wanda Jackson, James Blood Ulmer, Robert Parker, Lazy Lester, Question Mark & The Mysterians, The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, and many more.
Website: http://www.ponderosastomp.com/