This is fine.
Before things really got started during Saturday’s ACL Festival events, we got together with Josh, Toto, and Yvonne of the Octopus Project at Austin Java to ask them a few questions about their band (including the upcoming Fun Fun Fun Fest). You can read the interview in its entirety after the jump.
In the week leading up to ACL, we had the pleasure of speaking with lead singer James Hyland of South Austin Jug Band. James and I discuss the departure of founding members of his band, why ACL is still a big deal, and why a Beck cover seemed like a good idea. Read the entire interview after the jump.
We decided to take a different route in reviewing the events of ACL and we thought a Top 10 List would be the way to go. This isn’t just a list of our favorite bands, rather a list of the best things, moments, memories or any other tasty randomness we could come up with that went down over the weekend. We obviously would love to hear what else we maybe missed from our list. This isn’t just our opinion, it’s what we heard from you good peoples that attended this year’s ACL. List is after the jump.
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Yes ladies and gentlemen, we made it through ACL and we are working on our write-ups, interviews, etc. We will start giving you guys the goods tomorrow and we promise it will be worth your while. The exhaustion, dust, and late nights have taken their toll, but we have some of the best staffers around and the content should be great!
So it’s come down to this. The major conflict we see on Sunday at 7:30 has got to be Sub Pop boys Band of Horses playing against sister duo Tegan & Sara. Let’s just call this one the ATH Battle Royal. You have a choice between reverb laden rock n’ roll or creators of probably the best pop song to come out in several years “Back in Your Head”. What’s it gonna be? You have a difficult decision ahead of you. We hope you make the right one. Check out two of the greatest tunes of last year:
Download: Band of Horses – Is There a Ghost [MP3]
Download: Tegan & Sara – Back in Your Head [MP3]
So here’s what should be a very interesting battle: intense expiremental blues rock of The Black Keys vs. the intimate folk rock of Iron & Wine. Some people may not see the contradiction here with the bands having such starkley different sounds. I agree that the bands sound nothing alike but I’m finding this to be one of the huge conflicts of the festival. Both bands are playing at 7:30 on Saturday. Which stage will you be at? Recent singles from both bands are below to make this decision easier…. or harder?
Download: The Black Keys – Strange Times [MP3]
Download: Iron & Wine – Boy With a Coin [MP3]
If your wallet is a little tight and you can’t afford ACL, here are two more free by RSVP shows to check out. Our first show is being put on by Antics and features a DJ set by CSS with several other special guests. This even goes down on Friday night around 10pm and you can RSVP now.
Second show also goes down on Friday with headliners Cool Kids leading the way and Voxtrot joining in on the fun. This event is being put on by Rolling Stone with doors opening at 8pm. RSVP for this one before time runs out. Both shows are rumored to have free drinks…. oh schnaps!
Mason Jennings has been through his ups and downs as a songwriter, but mostly he’s been on the ups. His incredible vocals always lead those in his mass followings, such as Issac Brock of Modest Mouse, to a pleasurable listening experience. The crowds at Austin City Limits will surely be witness to his magic when he takes to the Austin Ventures stage this Saturday at 6:30. Read more after the jump.. Read more
Round two of our ACL battles pits Brazilian dance/pop band CSS vs. Philly artist Man Man. This is our earliest battle of the festival weekend with both bands playing at 3:30 on Saturday. CSS will be gettin’ it down on the AT&T Blue Room stage while Man Man plays on the Dell stage. So the question is simple: Power pop goodness from the ipod commercial makin’ CSS or get a little more intense with war paint wearin’ Man Man? Tell us who you’re seeing and why. Both bands most recent singles are below:
Download: CSS – Rat is Dead (Rage) [MP3]
Download: Man Man – Big Trouble [MP3]
How could we resist doing a feature on the amazing Jenny Lewis? I’m sure many of you out there in the internet world are familiar with Ms. Lewis, but we rarely pass on a chance to bring up our obsession with the famed singer. Follow the jump to read more.
