ACL 2026: Elle Coves

 Friday at 1:45 on the BMI stage.  This bio says:

Born in Germany to Spanish parents, twenty-one-year-old Elle Coves moved to Ireland when she was thirteen and started writing songs shortly after. 

Since finishing school in the summer of 2022, Elle is already making a name for herself, having toured with Niall Horan, Lewis Capaldi, and Del Water Gap, as well as working with some of the biggest writers and producers in the industry and releasing her debut EP ‘Selfishly Inclined’ in March of 2024.

Taking inspiration from Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac, Maggie Rogers and Haim, Elle effortlessly merges personal, self-reflective storytelling with powerful melodies and stadium choruses.

That's a pretty good summary. It looks like she's signed to Sony Music. 

Let's check out some songs.

"Hit Me Where It Hurts" is a nice mellow tune. A mix of Maggie Rogers and Phoebe Bridgers.

"Peace" is her most streamed song on Spotify. Very Swifty.

This is catchy.  I don't think that's Ireland.

 

ACL 2026: Hunx and His Punx

 Friday at 1:15pm.  This band played SXSW in 2011 (My preview here).  According to Wikipedia:

Hunx, real name Seth Bogart, started the band in 2008 after years of performing in the pop group Gravy Train!!!!. The group's sound has been compared to 1960s girl groups and is a blend of punk and bubblegum music. 

Since that time Bogart disbanded and reformed the band a couple of times with new bandmates, most recently in 2019.  The band now includes Shannon Shaw from Shannon and the Clams (who played SXSW in 2024).  They released a new album in 2025 and have been touring for it.

Here is a recent performance on KEXP.  I bet Rumble Radio plays them.

"Lover's Lane" is one of their older tunes. 

This is the first song they played on KEXP and it's their latest single.

ACL 2026: Faouzia

 Friday at 1:45pm. Per her extremely comprehensive Wikipedia page:

Faouzia Ouihya (Arabic: فوزية أويحيى, romanized: Fawziya Uwīḥiya, pronounced [ˈfawzija ʔuˈwiːħija]; French: [fauzja]; born 5 July 2000), known mononymously as Faouzia, is a Moroccan and Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. Born in Casablanca, Morocco, she moved with her family to Canada at a young age.

It says she grew up listening to pop musicians Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Sia, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend.

"Tears of Gold" is pretty good. 

"Birthday" is a nice mellow tune.

This is her newest single.

 

ACL 2026: The 4411

Friday at 12:45pm on the Tito's stage. Schedules are out so let the research begin. We're doing weekend one this year so I'll focus on those bands.  First up is a local band.  This article says:

 The 4411 are at their core – a group of best friends from Austin, Texas, making music rooted in shared history and genuine connection. The band’s name itself comes from the street address of their drummer’s parents’ house, where they first rehearsed and wrote together, and that sense of origin still lingers in their sound. Influenced by artists like Hozier, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, and The Backseat Lovers...

Indie folk.

In that article the singer says he was going for a Jeff Buckley sound on "Sweet July".  Nice mellow tune. 

"Her" has 127K streams on youtube after 1 month. Pretty good. Reminds me of Houndmouth.

This is catchy.

 

SXSW 2026: Recap

For searching purposes.

Friday March 13th

@Colton House

Eliza Thorn
Patton Magee
Olivia Ellen Lloyd
SUSTO String Band

@Scoot Inn

Six Foot Blonde
The Nude Party

Saturday March 14th

@ San Jose

The Bures Band
Angela Autumn
Calder Allen

@Magdalena Hotel

Little Mazarn (end)
Boomershack

Monday March 16th

@High Noon (Paste)

TTSSFU
Buddy Red
Swapmeet
Diles Que No Me Maten
Liz Cooper

@GSD&M

Next of Kin
The Droptines
Los Lobos

Tuesday March 17th

@Ray Benson's Birthday

Los Lonely Boys
Asleep at the Wheel

Thursday March 19th

@Luck Reunion

Tom Jenkins
Penelope Road
Frank Mastra
Deloyd Elze
Joshua Ray Walker
Dylan Earl
Fred Eaglesmith
Kaitlin Butts (partial)
Chuck Prophet and his Cumbia Shoes
Luck Family Jam Carrie Rodriguez with:
Kam Franklin, Eva Ybarra, Elizabeth Goodfellow,Tami Neilson , Ellen Angelico, Bonnie Whitmore, Suzanna Choffel, Erika Wennerstrom, Melissa Carper, Lily Meola
Booker T. Jones
Willie Nelson and Family