ACL 2015: Nero

Sunday at 7:30pm.  Last preview of the year.  This is a trio out of London.  EDM.  They're playing opposite Dwight Yoakam and Hozier.  I would be all over this in my youth.

Satisfy

ACL 2015: GRiZ

Sunday at 6:30pm.  This is a DJ/producer out of Michigan.  He's playing in the tent and is opposite Alt-J and Of Monsters and Men so I doubt we'll see him.

Wikipedia says: "He is known for playing the saxophone along with producing funk, electro-soul, and self-described future-funk."  A good description of this song.


Hard Times

ACL 2015: Steelism

Sunday at 5pm.  This may be the dinner-time slot.  It's got The Decemberists and Ben Howard on the big stages and this instrumental band from Nashville on the old BMI stage.  It's a duo of session and touring musicians that started this band on the side.  They've worked with Ben Tanner of Alabama Shakes and have recorded at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals.  I wouldn't mind chilling out and watching a little of this.

Marfa Lights

ACL 2015: Strand of Oaks

Sunday at 3:30pm.  This is my first choice.  It's the moniker of Indiana-born and current Philly resident Tim Showalter.  His old stuff was folk/Americana but his last album, "Heal", went a different direction.  It was a critical success. More rocking.  He has opened for the likes of Jason Isbell, Ryan Adams, and Iron and Wine.

This is the show to see.

This song features J Mascis on guitar.

Goshen '97

ACL 2015: Sylvan Esso

Sunday at 3:30.  Here is a duo from North Carolina that was at SXSW in 2014 (previewed here).  Indie pop.  I like their song Coffee so click to hear it.  This song was named as #1 Song of the Year in 2014 by Paste magazine.

Hey Mami

ACL 2015: Lord Huron

Sunday at 2:30.  This is my first choice.  I saved the best for last.  All 5 bands playing at this time are good but this is more in our wheelhouse.  It's the moniker of Ben Schneider who is originally from Michigan but now resides in L.A.  His band now comprises friends from Michigan that moved out to L.A. as well.

We saw these guys at SXSW in 2011 at the East Side Drive-In for the Pitchfork day party.  It was early and there was nobody there but they put on a good show as I recall.  They were just in town playing at Stubb's with Leon Bridges opening.  Now they're back.

Fool for Love

ACL 2015: Spirit Family Reunion

Sunday at 2:30 on the BMI stage.  This is a bluegrass/folk band so of course they're from Brooklyn.  They've been around for a few years but have never played Old Settlers.  They would fit right in there.  They supposedly put on a great live show.  I'm surprised we haven't seen them yet.

I Want to Be Relieved

ACL 2015: Kali Uchis

Sunday at 2:45 in the tent.  This is a Columbian-born, Virginia-raised singer now residing in NYC.  She's got backing from names like Diplo and Rick Rubin so expect big things.

Her style is considered 60s soul/R&B and she has been compared to Amy Winehouse.

I like this song.

Lottery

ACL 2015: Sheppard

Sunday at 2:30pm.  This is the Austin Ventures stage band.  It's a band from Brisbane, Australia composed of three siblings.  They have blown up there and in Europe.  This song made the Top-40 here and they've played Ellen, the Today show, and Fallon.

Pure pop.  The good thing about seeing them is that since the audience will be tween girls we'll be the tallest people there.

Geronimo

ACL 2015: BØRNS

Sunday at 2:30pm.  This is the crazy timeslot.  There are five bands playing.  All are pretty good.  I'll start from the Western-most stage and move East.

This first guy was at SXSW based on the strength of the single "10,000 Emerald Pools" which is still on regular rotation on KUTX.  His first album doesn't come out until October 16th yet he's already played Lollapalooza and has made the late-night talk show rounds.

This is one of the songs on his new album.

The Emotion

ACL 2015: Amason

Sunday at 1:30pm.  This is the 3rd option during this timeslot.  They played SXSW and are now back for ACL.  I like them.  I shared Duvan before so here's another one.

Went to War

ACL 2015: Kaleo

Sunday at 1:30pm.  I figure you'll want to see them as you missed their SXSW show at the San Jose.  This is the song getting the airplay.  As I recall this song is quite different from their other stuff.  Live they play a lot more Led Zeppelin style blues-rock.  He likes to scream like Robert Plant.

All the Pretty Girls

ACL 2015: Daughter

Sunday at 1:30pm.  There are three really good choices at this time so it's going to be a tough decision.  Probably my first choice is this trio out of North London.  We saw them at Mohawk and I loved it.  Just a wonderful sound.  Even the notoriously chatty Mohawk crowd was on their best behavior when they played.

This would be a great early afternoon set but hard-rocking Kaleo is playing next to them on the Austin Ventures stage.  Hopefully their sound won't bleed too much into this show.

Youth

ACL 2015: Mandolin Orange

Sunday at 12:45pm.  Yes, another good choice at 12:45.  This folk/Americana duo has been around for awhile but we've never seen them.  They're quite loved by the NPR listeners and the folk community in general.  This is one of the few old-school ACL bands on the new youth-focused lineup.

Old Ties and Companions

ACL 2015: Lion Babe

Sunday at 12:45.  This is a duo out of NYC that rose to prominence with the first song, "Treat Me Like Fire", a couple years ago.  They then released an EP on Interscope Records with the help of Childish Gambino, who joins in on the second song, "Jump Hi".  Their first album is coming out soon and includes collaborations with Pharrell Williams and Dave Sitek of TVOTR.  That's some serious backing.

Fun fact: the female singer, Jillian Hervey, is the daughter of Vanessa Williams.

Their sound is neo-soul and it reminds me a little of Eryka Badu.

Treat Me Like Fire


Jump Hi

ACL 2015: Jidenna

Sunday at 12:45pm.  Halsey was supposed to play at this time but she has been moved to later at 3:30pm and Jidenna has been moved earlier to this slot.  He's the son of Nigerian immigrants who was raised in Wisconsin, went to high school in Boston and attended college at Stanford.  He is on Janelle Monaé's record label and has collaborated with her since before she broke out.  Now it's his turn... This SPIN article has a good background on him.

Here are two songs:

Yoga

Kendrick Lamar

I was blown away by this the other night and thought it should be shared.  He played ACL in 2013.  We didn't go.

Medley

ACL 2015: Halsey

Sunday at 12:45pm. This is the moniker of Ashley Frangipane. The ACL site says she's 19 but Wikipedia says she's 20.  Kind of old for ACL.  One Wikipedia fact: "She describes herself as "tri-bi": biracial, bisexual, and bipolar."

Alt-pop sound in the vein of Lykke Li or Alanis Morissette.

Hurricane

ACL 2015: The Hunts

Sunday at 12:30pm.  I'm just noticing how many teen bands are playing this year.  I'll have to add them up at some point.  I'm about to post 3 all playing at the same time.  First up is a family of 7 siblings ranging in age from 16 to 24.  Alt-folk.  This song sounds like Mumford and Sons but I heard another that reminded me of Mother Falcon.

Make this Leap

ACL 2015: Beat Connection

Sunday at noon.  Another light easy sound to start the day.  This is disco/pop from a band out of Seattle.  Nothing groundbreaking but probably good hangover recovery music.

So Good

ACL 2015: Marion Hill

Sunday at noon.  This band was here for SXSW and are now back at ACL.  In my preview I compared the sound to Kirsty MaColl but this song is more like Bittersweet.  If we get there early this is a nice way to start the day.

One Time

ACL 2015: BOOTS

Saturday at 7:30.  Playing opposite TV on the Radio so we probably won't see him but his story is interesting.  This is the monikor of Jordan Asher who is originally from Miami but is now in NYC.  He was unknown until Beyoncé heard one of his songs and before you know it he had written and produced most of her blockbuster album "Beyoncé" that famously lost to Beck at the Grammys.  Now he's about to release his own solo album and expectations are high.

This is off an EP he released last year.  A mix of rock/R&B/experimental.  Reminds me of...TV on the Radio.

Mercy

ACL 2015: Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Saturday at 5:30.  I skipped ahead too fast.  Here's the 5:30 choice.  KEXP likes them.  They're playing the Austin Ventures stage which is near the food and the beer tent so we can eat, drink, and listen.

I think we were supposed to see these guys at Mohawk but didn't go for some reason.  They were opening for someone we liked or vice versa.  My memory is fading fast.


Can't Keep Checking My Phone

ACL 2015: Alessia Cara

Saturday at 6:30.  I'll skip ahead a couple timeslots as 4:30 is a given with Sturgill Simpson and 5:30 is probably dinner-time since there's not much to see.  This timeslot has José González in the tent so I assume that's a given, too.  Too bad this singer isn't on at 5:30.

Alessia Cara is a 19yo from Ontario.  She's already signed to Def Jam and has played Fallon so she's moving fast.  This song is getting airplay on KUTX.  I like it.  It's got a Portishead riff as the backing track.

Here

ACL 2015: Houndmouth

Saturday at 3:30.  Another conflict: Shakey Graves or Houndmouth.  This is going to be peak crowd so I have a feeling Shakey Graves is going to be packed.  We've seen him a couple times recently so I'd like to check out some of Houndmouth.  I don't think we've seen them since the Heartbreaker Banquet a few years ago.  I really like them.  It's at the Austin Ventures stage.

Here's a refesher.

Houston Train

ACL 2015: Glass Animals

Saturday at 2:30.  We saw these guys at the 2014 KRCW SXSW showcase at Haven.  (My memory is hazy.  What did you think?)  Now they're playing the big headlining stage at ACL.  Not bad.  It's a band out of Oxford, England that released their first album last year.  Nice mellow trippy music.  They're on the label of the producer for Adele, Florence Welch, and Foster the People so they've got some serious backing.  Reminds me of Alt-J mixed with Thievery Corporation.

Gooey

ACL 2015: Sugar & The High Lows

Saturday at 2:30.  This timeslot has 4 good options so we'll have to miss a few.  Obviously my first choice is Gabriel Garzón-Montano and 2nd choice is Father John Misty.  Any other time I'd want to check out this band.  It's two singer-songwriters out of Nashville that have collaborated on this project.  Reminds me of She & Him.

I've Got You Covered

ACL 2015: Gabriel Garzón-Montano

Saturday at 2:45pm.  Are you sitting down? Ok.  Instead of seeing Father John Misty we need to be in the tent watching this guy.  Before you freak out, listen to these songs.  Holy shit they are good.

This is a NY born and raised 25yo son of a French mother and Columbian father.  He played all the instruments on his first EP which was recently released.  Mayer Hawthorne heard it and got his manager to represent him.  Lenny Kravitz heard it and invited him to open for his summer European stadium tour.  Drake heard a song and sampled it for one of his hits.  More about him in this SPIN article.

Reminds me of Bill Withers and Prince.  Just amazing.  Once you fall in love with these two songs check out Pour Maman which starts out like a mellow Bill Withers song and ends like a "Sign of the Times" era Prince song.


Everything is Everything


Keep on Running

ACL 2015: Ryn Weaver

Saturday at 1:30.  This is the teen-pop choice on the Barton Creek side of the festival I doubt I'll visit.  I previewed her for SXSW but we didn't go see her.  Her album was produced by the Passion Pit guy so that's what to expect.  This is a remix as the original song is only a 1:30 minute sample on Soundcloud.  All her songs online are just samples.  That's BS.  Maybe we should just go watch her for a minute and a half and leave.

OctaHate 

ACL 2015: San Fermin

Saturday at 1:30.  This is another option.  We saw them at SXSW in 2014 at the San Jose and they were pretty good.  I previewed them back then.  It's the brainchild of one guy who brought in musicians and singers.  Interesting fact: his first album had Lucius as the female singers.  He has since brought on a new female lead as Lucius is busy on their own.

I'm going to share two songs as one is a male singer and the other female.  I like the male-led song better.  When he sings they remind me of The National.

Jackrabbit



Emily

ACL 2015: Charlotte OC

Saturday at 1:30pm.  There are three decent options at this time but this is my first choice.  Reminds me of Bat for Lashes, Zola Jesus, even Stevie Nicks.  She's from Blackburn in England and is only 22 years-old.  Her new album is supposed to be out sometime soon.


Colour My Heart

ACL 2015: Echosmith

Saturday at 12:45.  This is the high-school youth-pop choice.  It's a group out of Southern California made up of four siblings.  Apparently this song was a big hit.  I like it.

Cool Kids

ACL 2015: Milo Greene

Saturday at 12:45.  This is the more mainstream choice for this timeslot.  We saw them in 2012 during SXSW at the San Jose and I really liked them live.  It's a band out of L.A.  This song sounds a lot like Of Monsters and Men but I seem to recall they play quite a diverse mix of pop styles.

1957

ACL 2015: Adia Victoria

Saturday at 12:45.  My first choice in this timeslot is playing the small BMI stage which has some pretty good choices today.  The blog hype is big for her, with Brooklyn Vegan  and No Country for New Nashville both praising her blues style and NPR calling this one of the best songs of 2014.

I'd say we need to catch some of this set.  She only has a 3-song EP out so I'm not sure what to expect.

Stuck in the South

ACL 2015: Bee Caves

Saturday at 12:30.  ACL has done something new for Saturday this year.  Usually they space out the similar bands across the stages so people end up walking back and forth across Zilker to see shows.  This year they've put most of the pop/hip-hop/electronic bands on the two stages closest to Barton Creek.  As such, there's not a single band I want to see on those two stages all day.  I'll post some for informational purposes but I don't see you liking them, either.

Another change is that I don't see us needing to get to the festival early on Saturday this year.  Riders on the Storm starts at 11:30 but was just saw them at Blues on the Green and can see them around town.  The indie bands at noon are the all-caps FIDLER (skate-punk) and HOLYCHILD (self-labeled brat pop).  Neither are my cup of tea.

The first band of interest is playing at 12:30.  They are an Austin band that we saw at SXSW (the Frontgate day party in the rain).  They're doing a residency at Continental Club on Thursdays this month so we can catch them there, too.  I really like their sound and want to catch them again soon if we don't get to ACL by 12:30.  Reminds me of The Call mixed with Other Lives.

Running Home to You

ACL 2015: George Ezra

Friday at 7pm.  Yes, he's playing against Gary Clark, Jr.  However, a case can be made to check out some of this set.  He's 22 years old and already has a #1 album in England.  He's played Saturday Night Live and even NPR loves him.  He'll most likely be playing Erwin Center next time in Austin so to see him on the Austin Ventures stage would be cool.

Oh, they have Gary Clark Jr playing the Heineken/Retailmenot/HomeAway stage right before Foo Fighters. That's going to be a clusterf***.

Budapest



Listen to the Man

ACL 2015: Rhiannon Giddens

Friday at 6pm.  This is opposite Tame Impala so we'll most likely be there.  However, if we want a mellow, relaxing show we should head over to the tent.  Rhiannon Giddens is better known as part of Carolina Chocolate Drops, who we saw put on a great show at Old Settler's a few years ago.  Her solo stuff is more mellow.  Here's a good overview.  We watched a stream of her show at Bonnaroo and I enjoyed it.

Maybe worth checking out for a bit.  It would be much better to hear at the Good Times Stage at Old Settler's, though.

Shake Sugaree

ACL 2015: Run the Jewels

Friday at 5pm.  The 4pm timeslot has Leon Bridges and Billy Idol.  It also had Songhoy Blues, a band out of Mali, in the tent.  I was going to share one of their songs but this morning they disappeared from the lineup.  I guess they cancelled.  Since we're seeing Leon Bridges at the Parish the week before either we can see him again or go dance to "White Wedding".

5pm may be dinner time.  The choices are frat-pop band Moon Taxi, alt-rock NJ band Brand New, and hip-hop duo Run the Jewels.  I wouldn't mind checking them out if only to hear this song which was played at the end of an episode of "Silicon Valley".  You know you're out-of-touch when Mike Judge is your introduction to hip-hop (see "Office Space").

Blockbuster Night Pt. 1