This is fine.
It was a solid year for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. It was one of the best overall lineups in years. Better weather would have been nice, but what can you do about the weather (besides carbon offsets, public transportation, solar, efficiency audits, etc).
Sunday was the chill day for ATH for ACL WE2. I wasn’t approved by St. Vincent or Arctic Monkeys. Day six was even steamier than I would like to remember. Consider the wall hit, but it by will alone I set my mind in motion….and Janelle Monae’s extraordinary presence.
Weekend Two, Friday, thoughts, photos.
Brian and I went and got sweaty for you, day four for B, but he had the cameras and pit access this time around.
As you likely know, many of your faithful ATH crew members ventured out this weekend to take part in this thing called Austin City Limits Festival. Have you heard of it? It’s kind of a big deal. As always, the festival was run smooth like a baby’s bottom and a good time was had by all. Part of what we do to earn our keep is to offer opinions on the music side of things and overall thoughts/concerns from the weekend. Each member of the team who attended this weekend will share their own opinions.
Follow the jump for more from me and Nicole with a little gallery from around the grounds by bgray.
One of the artists who will only be playing Weekend One of ACL is the always brilliant Sharon Van Etten. And, just in line with her performance, she’s announced a brand new album today. It offers a bit of a different vibe then where we last found her…and I’m still drawn to the power of her voice; she’s got this subtle range that I don’t think she gets credit for too often. Plus, while there’s still an element of dark undertones, the driving force behind the first single opens up the song to a more emphatic, almost anthemic, punch. Remind Me Tomorrow will be out on January 18th of next year. Catch her on 10/6 if you’re in Austin at the ACL.
One week! We’re one week away from another weekend of fun times, great tunes, tasty beverages and tastier foods at Austin City Limits 2018. Have you figured out which bag you’re going to take to comply with the new bag rules? Have you scoped out the list of food vendors so you know what local restaurant you’re gonna support when you stumble through a crowd of hungry people for the goods (hello, yes, I’ll take 8 orders of Kimchi fries plz)? Do you have appropriate rain shoes/gear on deck for when Zilker inevitably becomes a mudpit at the first drop of rain? No? Get to stepping, the time is almost here and to the best of my knowledge our Amazon overlords won’t be delivering to the fest via drone. On a musical note, I’ve got a preview for you today of some performances that I’m expecting to be dynamic and exciting not only because of the sweet tunes they’ll be playing, but because of the men and women who will be commanding the stage. Read after the jump for this lady’s hot take on which performance are must-see for weekend one.
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Who will you miss when you see Chuhvurches? Deftones on Weekend One, Disturbed on Weekend Two.
David Byrne or Golden Dawn? If your out-of-town buddies haven’t been in the Arkestra and have seen Byrne, you know the answer.
Blood Orange or Sharon Van Etten? Pleased to say, that may the worst conflict.
But check out the app and opt in for updates and news as schedules are bound to be updated and you want the news when it lands.
It’s never a bad day for a Molly Burch tune, especially as she’s just announced her second LP is coming our way in October. This new track opens up with this sparse bit of instrumentation, allowing light guitars to twinkle amidst the percussion. Once the song moves along, Burch’s vocals take on the sublime and the guitar is ever-present; I like the tones operating here, particularly the cosmic leaning guitar chords. Her new album is titled First Flower, and it’s slated for an October 5th release via Captured Tracks…not to mention a huge tour including a post at ACL Festival.
One of Austin’s favorite festivals has announced their 2018 Lineup. We already know that ACL Festival will happen on October 5-7 and October 12-14…but now we know what we’re getting! Personal highlights include David Byrne and Metallica/Deftones (I’ve recently been traveling down a secret metal wormhole with a lot of teenage reminiscence). A return of The National is never a bad thing, as they’ve delivered some of my favorite ACL moments in the past. B. Gray will be super stoked on Sylvan Esso and CHVRCHES. We’re also bound to love some of the acts lurking at the bottom of the list, like Sharon Van Etten, or my pick of the fest, Shame! If this whole thing is up your alley, then perhaps you’ll want to grab some tickets right HERE.
BGRAY NOTE: Post was staged before the full announce, let’s take a moment to react. The variation and diversity here is the best it has been in years. Sir Paul McCartney, Metallica, David Byrne, Twin Shadow, St Vincent, The Breeders, Blood Orange, Arctic Monkeys, Sharon Van Etten, Janelle Monae, Childish Gambino, Father John Misty – this is the best lineup on this side of the Atlantic. Get those three days now, cuz who knows if one-days will even be made available.
No Spoilers.
Admittedly, all the huge buzz leaks out as all the kids party on Weekend One, so attending Weekend Two for the first time, I was curious as to whether or not it could keep the same vibe from its predecessor. Surprisingly, the fest didn’t seem to miss a beat.
We have photos from around the grounds, randoms and portraits, friends and colleagues, bootlickers and signs. We also have plenty of notes rehashing last week’s favorites and highlighting the changes, so read on for highlights.
