Here is my ranked schedule from Friday through Sunday in order of appearance. This should make it easier to review each band before they go on stage. Click the name to see the preview. To see the spreadsheet in full-page click here.
Here is a playlist from Youtube of all the bands in order as well.
Sunday at 7pm. Nothing makes me feel old like looking at the top billed acts at ACL and not recognizing them. Yes, ACL is catering to a younger audience. Plus, the bands at the top are genres I don't really follow. Ok maybe I don't feel so old after all. They do have Marcus Mumford and RHCP.
Three acts at this time. Marcus Mumford, techno-dance producer Zhu ("Faded" has 129M views!) and this jam band out of Connecticut. They are compared to Phish and Umphry's McGee. They call themselves "indie groove".
They sold out Stubb's for ACL Nights on Saturday Oct. 8th. They also played Red Rocks. Check out their cover of this The National song. Two drummers!
Sunday at 6pm on the Tito's stage. This timeslot on this day is usually saved for something special. One year it was Richard Thompson. Last year was Trixie Mattel. This year it's this legendary jazz musician. I can't even get into all the accolades and collaborations. Read his Wikipedia page if you want to get worn out.
The other options are rock band Paramore and rapper 6lack.
The Statesman says: "If your festival won’t be complete without some truly mind-boggling musical mastery, the jazz titan from Houston is here to oblige."
Sunday at 5pm. Synthpop now based in L.A. From Wikipedia:
The band is named after its lead singer María Zardoya who was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Atlanta, Georgia...The Marías are an American indie pop band from Los Angeles, California. They are known for performing songs in both English and Spanish, as well as infusing their music with elements like jazz percussion, guitar riffs, smoke-velvet vocals, and horn solos.
The Statesman says: " Enjoy a bilingual synth pop interlude as you escape the heat of the day under the shade trees that form the far edge of this stage area." They are playing the Barton Springs stage.
They are touring with Halsey.
"I Don't Know You" is a nice mellow tune.
This was their first hit. It's gotten airplay on the radio.
Sunday at 5pm. Japanese Breakfast is on at this time. So is Eric Tessmer on the BMI stage. Two other options. First is producer, composer, vocalist and instrumentalist Jackson Stell. From Wikipedia:
Stell began his music career as a hip-hop beat producer, known as J Beatz, in his native Massachusetts at the age of 14. Stell graduated from Northeastern University and worked as a composer for an advertising agency before moving to Los Angeles, where he switched his focus to producing electronic music and singing under the moniker Big Wild.
File it under the electronic/dance genre.
This was his first hit.
Sunday at 4pm. ACL likes to throw in one out-of-left-field act every year. Remember Die Antwoord? Last year it was Trixie Mattel but she turned out to be great. I'm not sure that will be the case with this guy.
One review of his concert is titled: "I Went to an Oliver Tree Concert Sober, and I Regret it". According to the review he's a fan of his music but the antics on stage turned him off the show. Ouch.
Rock. Probably good for all the people waiting to see RHCP. "Let Me Down" is catchy.
Apparently he's very popular. This song has 243Million views. Wow.
Sunday at 4pm. Spoon is on at this time plus two other choices. First up is a duo originally from Miami but now in L.A. Gorilla vs. Bear loves them. He posts about them all the time. I think they are signed to his record label. According to Wikipedia:
(Mica) Tenenbaum was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and immigrated with her family to the United States, while (Matthew) Lewin is also of Argentine-Jewish descent. They originally met in high school at a program run by Live! Modern School of Music, where they were placed in a classic rock cover band and later began writing their own progressive rock music as Tabula Rasa...After that band broke up, they formed Magdalena Bay in 2016 while on vacation from college—Tenenbaum at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and Lewin at Northeastern University in Boston—and continued to collaborate remotely
The Statesman says:
An indie-pop band with roots in Miami and vibes from another dimension. Sort of transporting in a Purity Ring way, ethereal in an early Grimes way but hook-forward in an experimental, "could be friends with Charli XCX" way. Anyway, see 'em.
"Killshot" was one of their first singles.
Check out the video and song for "Dreamcatching". Pretty cool.
I like them. This song is on KCRWs playlist.
Sunday at 3pm. An older musician now. She's 21. From Wikipedia:
PinkPantheress (born 2001) is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. In 2021, while attending university in London, she posted several songs to TikTok that went viral, including "Break It Off", and she subsequently signed to Parlophone and Elektra Records...She won BBC's Sound of 2022 poll and has been nominated for three NME Awards.
Not bad. The Statesman says she someone to see and says: "Candy coated bedroom pop from a TikTok sensation who’s about to be a massive star."
Her first viral hit was "Break it Off".
This is a full video including her singing. "just for me"
I'm thinking either her or MUNA at this time.
This was my favorite.
Sunday at 2:45pm on the Tito's stage. Dream pop. She's 18 now but was signed to Republic Records at 16 after posting the song below on social media. She's from L.A. According to Wikipedia: " Rosinkranz used to help her father with ideas for songs he was writing for various TV shows and commercials."
"Frankenstein" is fun.
Happy dance music like Dayglow.
Sunday at 3pm on the BMI stage. According to Wikipedia he's "an alternative pop singer originally from Barstable, MA (on Cape Cod.) He's 19 years-old and signed to RCA Records. He has also toured with girl in red.
Mellow pop. "ferrari" is his big hit I think.
Sunday at 3:15pm. 5 choices at this time. The only one I recognize is MUNA who played ACL in 2017 (writeup here). I don't think we went to see them. Let's take a look at the other choices.
This is a rapper born Bianca Miquela Landrau in Medford, MA. (Town north of Cambridge). She now lives in L.A. and has worked with Pharrell, Nicki Minaj, and J.Cole ("London", video w/him). She was also on a reality TV show called Sisterhood of Hip Hop.
This is her big hit. Has a Cardi B vibe.
Sunday at 2pm. This is an interesting fellow. The band name is the first clue: the music is not goth and he's not female. It's the moniker of Griff Washburn. Born in Memphis, he is a wandering musician. From this interview:
Recent Pacific Northwest transplant, Goth Babe, formerly known as Griff Washburn, is out to eventually take the alternative music genre by storm. Originally starting his music career in Nashville, he then moved to New York City shortly after, and then on to Los Angeles.
According this website:
Griff currently lives off the grid exploring a variety of lifestyles. Currently living between a sailboat, tiny home or camper van, surfing up and down the west coast with pup, Sadie. He writes and records his music in the back of his camper off of solar power, while in the midst of following good weather and good people.
Indie rock/jangly guitar/synth pop. "Canary Islands" is good. It has a New Order bass beat in it which is nice. "Running Around" is good, too.
I say we go watch this set after Buffalo Nichols.
He's headlining Scoot Inn on Sat. Oct. 8th with Sarah and the Sundays opening. Two female-themed bands without any females. It's sold out.
This video shows his camper and I suppose his dog.
Sunday at 2pm. Buffalo Nichols plays the Tito's stage at 1:45pm so we'll probably be there.
Pitchfork's bio of this rapper:
Born Larry Eugene Hendricks III to teenage parents in San Francisco, June moved to Atlanta at age 5; he spent much of his childhood vacationing to the West Coast, where he longed to live permanently. At 14, he moved back to his native Hunters Point neighborhood briefly before heading to Vallejo.
This song may be autobiographical. Sample lyrics:
I was born in ninety-one, product of the dope gameFifties, Camaros, Cuts when we swangCrack game, you don't even know the halfThe stress, livin' life so fastI'm dreamin' (I'm dreamin')
Sunday at 1:15pm. There are 4 bands on at this time. Dehd is my first choice. Also playing are Austinites Darkbird (regular rotation on KUTX) and Caleb de Casper.
This is a singer/songwriter who was born in Springfield, MO, grew up in Ozark, MO but is now in Nashville. He is signed to Warner Records.
Pop ballads. "Momentary" is good.
This is his most watched video. Catchy.
Sunday at 1:15pm. This is one of my top bands to see. It's a trio out of Chicago. Here is their performance on KUTX. Indie rock.
Pitchfork loves them. It throws around comparisons to Roy Orbison and The Cure. Quite a range. Their guitar licks remind me of Real Estate, too. Also, dare I say it, the B52s.
"Window" is good. Has a Velvet Underground beat.
Catchy songs. They are opening for Japanese Breakfast at Stubb's for ACL Nights on Oct. 13th as well.
Sunday at 12:30pm. Post-punk from Tampa. This article states: "Their art is rooted in a mutual love for rock and new wave icons like Joy Division, Gang of Four, and the B-52’s." It says their debut album was produced by Dave Shultz of Cage the Elephant.
"Personality Change" is very Gang of Four.
Here is "Behaviour" live. Even the video looks like it's from the 80s.
This is right up my alley. Probably better at 1am at Hotel Vegas but since I don't stay up that late anymore 12:30pm on a Sunday will have to do.
Here's one more.
Sunday at 12:45pm. 80s dance pop on the Tito's stage. It's the moniker of Austin-based Laura Lee Bishop. She's a Black Fret artist this year so we'll probably see her soon at one of their showcases.
"Do it Again" is fun.
This video gives the "Flashdance" vibes.
Sunday at 12:30pm. You're going to love this one. I'll let this article introduce them:
By now, many Metallica fans know that co-founder Lars Ulrich's two adult sons, drummer-guitarist Myles Ulrich (23) and bassist-vocalist Layne Ulrich (21), have their own rock band called Taipei Houston.
It's what you expect. Here's their first released song.
Sunday at 11:45am. This is a band out of Oak Cliff. This article describes their music:
Luna Luna’s music is based in groove and rhythm, carrying a slight rock inspiration with pop influences ranging from bedroom, synth, and dream-pop. The group crosses genres often, sometimes collaborating with rap artists, and frequently borrowing from different decades of music.
"Feel it Now" is synthpop. Reminds me of Tame Impala.
"Fro" is mellow Sunday morning music.
This is their biggest hit. Also nice and mellow. I'd call them more R&B than dream-pop.
Sunday at 11:45am. Here is how he describes himself in this interview:
I’m an artist, I write and record my own music, with the help of a few friends equipment I record. I specialize in Latin/English urban music. I’m known for making music in Spanish and English with different types of genres...What sets me apart from others is the fact that I’m from a different country I’m actually from Panama, I came to the United States young but Latin music was always a part of me absolutely I just added my twist to it with the English music which I really enjoy too, even though I’m Hispanic, I look American because my dad is American but I wasn’t born here in the USA. So, I think my character and my music type is what sets me apart from others.
He lives in Atlanta.
This is good.
Sunday at 11:45am. 5 choices at this time. Danielle Ponder is first choice obviously. Let's see who else is playing.
Not much on this artist. In this interview she says she was raised in Memphis but her bio says she's now in Tulsa. Most of the music online is her playing acoustic guitar or doing covers. This is the one song with a video that is an original. It was uploaded two weeks ago. It also shows her band name as just HAPPIE. Maybe she dropped her last name. This interview says she has an EP coming out right after ACL. Pretty impressive that they booked her before even releasing an EP.
Good song.
Saturday at 7:15pm. The 6:15pm time slot has Lil Nas X, Big Boi. and something called Purple Disco Machine. I'm thinking Big Boi. His setlists include lots of Outkast songs. Yes please.
This time slot has War on Drugs, Diplo and this singer/rapper/actor from Alief, Texas. Wikipedia says:
Nwigwe is of Nigerian descent, and hails from the Igbo ethnic group.
He played high school football and then college football at the University of North Texas. He was being considered for draft by the NFL. However, a Lisfranc ligament tear left him unable to continue to play football.
He performed on NPRs Tiny Desk Concert which received lots of attention. Michelle Obama put his song "I'm Dope" on her workout playlist.
He's also a co-star on the Netflix show "Mo" which is getting rave reviews.
This is a good song.
Saturday at 5:15pm. Barton Springs stage. R&B. She's originally from Miami but now in L.A. Another online streaming viral star. She's now on Atlantic Records.
I like her sound. Nice and mellow. Sade smooth. "Stand Still" is good.
"Messages from Her" gets lots of love in the comments. Sample: "This is the most powerful song a girl child needs to hear before she enters adulthood."
This was my favorite.
Saturday at 5:15pm. It's a pop rock duo that consists of sisters Alyson (Aly) and Amanda Joy Michalka (AJ). They were both Disney actors and continue to act but also formed this band back in 2004. Their first album went Gold. They are playing the BMI stage.
"Like Whoa" has 48M views. Most of the comments are people remembering watching their videos on Disney channel. We're not their core audience. This is their big hit.
Saturday at 5:15pm. Paste Magazine calls their music:
an insatiable dance collection of jungle-pop songs with many well-executed nods towards Brazilian instruments, poets and to the national language, Portuguese.
Sofi Tukker is the duo of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern.
Sophie Hawley-Weld was born in Frankfurt, Germany, but grew up in rural Canada and Atlanta. She then attended United World College of the Adriatic, a UWC in Duino, Italy.
Tucker Halpern was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. Growing up, he was a basketball player who was recruited by major Division I basketball schools, ending up at Brown University where he played three years and was the captain for a year. Due to an illness, he changed his career, started DJing and concentrated on making music.
Halpern and Hawley-Weld first met at Brown University in 2014 at an art gallery where Hawley-Weld was performing. Halpern approached her and they began writing and performing songs together.
One of their hits is "Purple Hat". Here they are performing it at KUTX Studio 1A. I like the mellow version better.
I really like "Original Sin". Good song.
This song is fun. Original video below but here it is recorded live in a studio. "Drinkee"
Saturday at 5:15pm. I thought we had seen this band before but I guess not. They played ACL in 2010 and 2018 but we didn't go see them. They're from Atlanta, not Manchester.
Rock. Their song "The Gold" was covered by Phoebe Bridgers. Here's her version.
"The Sunshine" is a nice mellow song.
This is their big song. They're on the stage before War on Drugs. A good warmup.
Saturday at 4:15pm. Wallows is playing at this time as well. They played ACL in 2018 (my writeup on them) and we saw a little of their set. It was pretty good.
This time slot is all teen pop music. Maude Latour's bio from Wikipedia:
Latour was born in Sweden.[2] Her father is Almar Latour, former executive editor of The Wall Street Journal and CEO of Dow Jones & Company, and her mother is a journalist for S&P Global.[3] She lived in London and attended Hong Kong International School before attending the Brearley School in Manhattan.[4][5] Latour graduated from Columbia University in 2022 as a philosophy major.[6]
She went viral after posting a song online and is now signed to Warner Records.
"Strangers Forever" is a break-up pop song.
Here is the viral song.
Saturday at 4:15pm. Indie pop/bedroom pop. From Wikipedia:
Conan Lee Gray was born on December 5, 1998, in Lemon Grove, California,[5] to a father of mostly Irish ancestry and a Japanese mother.[6] As an infant, his family moved to Hiroshima, Japan, due to his grandfather requiring medical care. After living there for two years, the family moved back to California. Gray previously spoke Japanese fluently, but has since lost his proficiency.[7]
Gray's parents divorced when he was three years old. In a "Draw My Life" video, he details his experiences with divorce as a young child.[8] As his father was in the military, Gray moved twelve times throughout his childhood, moving three times during sixth grade alone. Gray was frequently bullied throughout grade school. At one point, he was one of only five Asian children at his school.
Gray eventually settled in Georgetown, Texas, as a preteen where he remained for the rest of his teenage years. Gray's life in central Texas inspired much of his art and music. He was accepted to UCLA, and moved to Los Angeles, California in September 2017.
Now 23, he blew up online after posting some of his music and is now signed to Republic Records.
"Maniac" is pure indie pop. 83M views. "Disaster" is one of his newer songs.
This one is more mellow. 119M views.
Saturday at 3:30pm. Indie rock/pop from Samia Najimy Finnerty of New York/L.A. Her parents are actors Kathy Najimy (Peggy Hill on "King of the Hill") and Dan Finnerty She has also acted but music is her main thing now. She's touring with Maggie Rogers.
Is There Something in the Movies? has a Phoebe Bridgers sound. Mellow. The video features Maya Hawke (Ethan's daughter, "Stranger Things").
This is more rocking. More of a Maggie Rogers sound.
Saturday at 3:15pm. This is the moniker of Tucker Pillsbury, originally from Portland, Maine. He was discovered by Mac Miller who asked him to come to Los Angeles to record. He's signed with Interscope Records.
He often plays acoustic guitar on his songs, and his music has been described as pop and bedroom pop. He has called Mac Miller an inspiration of his due to his influence on the city of Pittsburgh, and called meeting him "the most pivotal moment in [his] life". Critics have described his lyrics, which discuss topics such as sex, mental health, and relationships, as "relatable" and "confessional".
"forever&more" is good. " if jesus saves, she’s my type" is a good song title. It's a good song, too. Reminds me of Dayglow.
Here's a melancholy pop song:
Saturday at 3:15pm at the Barton Springs stage. He's a rapper and singer discovered/promoted by Post Malone. He has also worked with DaBaby.
His biggest hit was "Tommy Lee" ft. Post Malone.
I'll post this song because Mookie Betts used it for his walk-up song in 2021. Make sure you click that link and watch it.
Saturday at 3:15pm. Pop. This article sums up her background:
Born in Massachusetts to a musician father and actress mother, Sands was always surrounded by music. As a kid, she found herself inspired by storytelling songwriters like Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow and Grace Potter. By her teen years, she began writing music and discovered emo and pop-punk bands like All Time Low and Taking Back Sunday. Trying to find that middle ground between those 2000s rockers and childhood favorites has been an ongoing challenge she’s embraced as an artist ever since she moved to Nashville two weeks after high school ended.
She had a breakout with this song about Harry Styles. Again from the article:
In November 2020, Sands penned “Dress” — a direct response to conservative pundit Candace Owens and the negativity surrounding Harry Styles’ Vogue cover where he sported a Gucci ball gown. “I love the way you wear that dress / Making everyone upset / Burning that cigarette, boy / Swear to god I’ll confess, boy,” she swoons in the chorus. It didn’t take long for the song to blow up on TikTok, and it currently has 1.3 million views and counting. For Sands, the surprise hit wasn’t just a statement about redefining masculinity.
Here is the song.
Saturday at 3pm. The Tito's stage is only allocating 15 minutes between bands most of this day. Past Lives finishes at 1:45pm and Cimafunk is supposed to go on at 2pm. He plays until 2:45 and then this singer from Nigeria goes on at 3pm. I don't see that working out smoothly.
Judging by his Youtube counts I'm surprised he's on this small stage. "Godly" has 75Million views. "Understand" has 58M views. In addition, he has collaborated with Justin Bieber.
According to Wikipedia his breakout was "Good Influence" which went viral online. It's good.
Here he is with Bieber:
Saturday at 2pm. Third option at this time. He's in the Tito's tent. I know you know him but wanted to post this video since I didn't realize KUTX was doing live sets in Studio 6a during SXSW this year. I love seeing shows in that studio.
He'll probably have the best dance party going.
Saturday at 2:15pm. Three options at this time. I'm sure your first choice is Adrian Quesada's Boleros Psicodélicos. Another choice is this band out of L.A. They are categorized at synthwave. Wikipedia says they are a duo. One of the founders is Danish.
Here they are live.
Saturday at 1:30pm. This band played ACL in 2019 but we didn't go see them. I liked their surf rock sound. Here is them live at Paste Studios. They are playing after The Ventures. Good scheduling.
Of the four options this is probably my first choice.
Here's a new one.
Saturday at 1:30pm. According to Wikipedia:
Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, she later immigrated to Canada, settling in London, Ontario, before moving to Toronto, where she is currently based. Her father died when she was six years old...She rose to prominence after her 2016 album, La Papessa, won the 2017 Polaris Music Prize. Her music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, including traditional indigenous and Afro-Colombian musical styles such as Cumbia and Bullerengue, as well as contemporary synthpop and electronic music.
Here is her Tiny Desk Concert.
This seems to be her biggest hit.
Saturday at 1:30pm. According to this article "Born Jessika Harling to a music-teacher mother, she started singing at age two and writing her own songs at 11." She currently lives in Vancouver. She released the song below on TikTok and it blew up. Since then she has won the Juno Award in Canada for Breakthrough Artist of the year, Single of the Year, and Pop Album of the Year.
She plays on the small BMI stage.
Saturday at 1:30pm. Four choices at this time. First choice is the moniker of Catherine Grace Garner. I had to make sure I had the three "y's" included in the name. Almost just used 2. She's originally from St. Louis but is now in L.A.
According to Wikipedia: "Her music style has been likened to Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton". Oh boy.
Saturday at 12:45pm. Holy moly. The ultimate nostalgia act. This band was formed in 1958 in Tacoma. You'll know their sound. Instrumental guitar rock. The original surf rock that inspired the Beach Boys. They played on American Bandstand with Dick Clark when TVs were still black and white. Check it out. "Walk Don't Run". You'll know it instantly.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"Wipeout"
All of the original members are dead. The main guitarist joined the band later and the drummer is the son of one of the original drummers. Still may be fun to check them out.
This one was in "Pulp Fiction"
Saturday at 12:45pm. Three options around this time. One is Austin band Past Lives who we saw at the Long Center Lawn as part of the Drop In. They were pretty good. They play the Tito's tent. They're my choice over this band.
Dance pop. It's a manufactured band created by Simon Fuller ("American Idol" creator). He auditioned prospective members via TikTok and chose 3 singers and 4 dancers. I'm not sure who plays the music (backup band? pre-recorded?)
This video has 5.3M views. I guess the marketing worked.
Saturday at noon. Final choice at this time. Disko Cowboy is playing the Tito's tent. Someboday at Tito's must really like him.
This is a 6 piece band out of Glasgow. Goth-glam. "Heather" is described in this article as "more end-of-the-night pop banger — it’s The Breakfast Club brought into the 21st century."
Very retro sound. Adam Ant beats with a Sisters of Mercy voice. Probably more my cup of tea than yours.
Saturday at noon. Third option at this time. It's the moniker of Austin-based Kori Roy. KUTX has more on her. She was a Statesman artist of the month. Here's their article on her.
Hip-hop.
Saturday at noon. This is a good summary:
Katzù Oso is a Latino solo artist based out of Los Angeles, CA. The moniker of Paul Hernandez, Katzù Oso combines upbeat, dancey production with dreamy vocals. Taking inspiration from artists like HOMESHAKE, Tame Impala and more, Hernandez sought to combine a dreamy synth-drenched sound with influences from growing up east of Los Angeles, CA – the sounds of growing up east of a major metropolitan city, of being young and brown in America.
"Thinking Too Much" is nice. "Amor Extraño" is a good song for a Saturday morning.
Mellow bedroom pop.
Saturday at noon. 5 choices on at this time. First up is best summed up by this article:
As ethereal as it is gritty, and as lighthearted as it is deep to the core, spill tab has landed, serving up multi-genre bedroom beats. The moniker of Claire Chicha, spill tab is a French Korean American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, now pouring distinctive, duality-drenched tracks with producer David Marinelli straight out of LA.
In the interview she explains how she got the name:
The first summer marinelli and I started hanging out and making music, we were also going to a shit ton of shows in LA and subsequently drinking so much alcohol. One of his friends was a bartender and explained how a spill tab is a bar tab designated for spilled drinks but mostly for giving free drinks to friends and I found that so freaking cute.
"Grade A" sounds like a lot of songs. It's got that Max Frost/Mobley/Portugal the Man beat going.
This reminds me of Billie Eilish. It rocks at the end.
Friday at 8pm. Yes, I'm out of it. Solána Imani Rowe aka SZA is huge. Her songs were all over the "Insecure" soundtrack. "Quicksand" is one example.
We can check her out after watching The Chicks.
Friday at 7pm. The 6pm slot has Nathaniel Rateliff and James Blake along with a techno band Big Gigantic. Billy Strings and Carly Rae Jepsen are also on in this slot.
I'm not sure how this is worthy of the 7pm slot. He's ok. R&B/Hip-hop/ballads/latin music. Kind of all over the place.
This was one of the better songs I heard.
Friday at 5pm. One for the kids. It's the moniker of 22 year-old Stella Rose Bennett from Aukland, New Zealand. She won every award you can win at the New Zealand Music Awards. Multi-platinum sales, too.
Indie pop. She's slotted in between Zach Bryan and Nathaniel Rateliff.
This video has 293M views.
Friday at 5pm on the Tito's stage. Dance pop from Paris. "Voodoo" is pretty funky.
This song reminds me of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky"
Could be a fun dance party in the tent.
Friday at 5pm. Arlo Parks is on at this time so that's my first choice. This is an indie pop band now in Austin. Most of the members are from Connecticut but one member is from Austin and he talked the rest into moving here.
The other tidbit: there is no one named Sarah in the band. It's all guys, too. (Update: Declan, the member from Austin, has a sister named Sarah. They used to practice on Sundays. Hence the name. Thanks Margie!)
Quirky indie pop like Dayglow.
Friday at 4pm on the Tito's stage. Hip-hop. He was born in Ghana and lives in Australia. His first album "Smiling with no Teeth" won all sorts of album of the year awards in Australia.
This song sounds familiar. Is it getting KUTX airplay?
Friday at 4pm. Playing opposite Zach Bryan. She's won multiple Grammys and is on Time Magazine's list of 2022's "100 Most Influential People". I'm embarrassed to say I don't know her. Thanks to ACL for exposing me to other artists.
The Statesman says: "Sullivan is an R&B artist’s R&B artist. Beyoncé, Chaka Khan and Mary J. Blige are all fans."
R&B. Here's a Tiny Desk Concert song with H.E.R.
"Bust Your Windows" was a big hit.
This song won the Grammy. It's on her album that also won a Grammy, "Heaux Tales"
Friday at 4pm. I'll look at the other artists but this is the #1 choice. It's a 26 year-old from Tulsa. His mother died in 2017 and he processed his grief by writing songs. He recorded them in an Airbnb in Jacksonville, FL and put up the album, titled DeAnn after his mother, online in 2019. Without a label, any representation, or even a website. Despite that, word-of-mouth from the die-hard country music fans made his album an instant hit. I'll let Savingcountrymusic describe his debut:
Anyone who tells you they knew about Zach Bryan beforehand is probably lying, present company included. All the effort expended at Saving Country Music headquarters running down leads on promising up-and-comers, and all the time spent out in the field sifting through the lineups of grassroots festivals and events throughout the year scouting for talent, and it would be a boldface lie to say I’d even heard his name until one of Zach Bryan’s songs called “Condemned” started swirling around YouTube a few weeks ago. Aside from the fact that he claims dual citizenship in Tulsa, OK and Seattle, WA on his Twitter account, nothing much else is known about the songwriter at this point, aside from what you can glean from his songs.
Here is "Condemned". Also check out "Heading South".
Turns out Zach Bryan was on active-duty in the Navy for 6 years when he released the album. Since then he released a second album, also without any representation, was honorably discharged from the Navy, signed with Warner Brothers, got Dave Cobb to produce his first major-label album, and finally started touring. Whew. Oh, his album went #1 on the country charts. This without any touring and hardly any mainstream media exposure. I still can't find any articles on him in the big publications. Here's a lot more about him.
Loved by fans of Sturgill Simpson, Colter Wall, and Tyler Childers. He's already considered the #1 songwriter based on the songs from his album, based on Billboard's Country Songwriters Chart. Based on reviews of his concerts the crowd is very young, very excited, and they know all the words to his songs.
Listen to this one, called "Sweet DeAnn" about his mom. I'm not crying...
This is another great song with a great video, too: "Something in the Orange" "To you I'm just a man, to me you're all I am." Damn.
He's playing Stubb's on Wednesday October 5th. I may want that as my birthday present.
More: "Darling". Reminds me of the Overenders campfire.
More: "Someday on My Mind".
Someday I will come to my senses
Stop sitting on fences in fear
And I will realize after all of this time
That someday was always just right here
Today I will hold my head up highKnowing some day has been here the whole damn timeThere's a sun set setting, I ain't forgettingThe blood that made my heart warmToday I found what I was searching for
More: "Mine Again". I don't think he can make a bad song.
Here's a Youtube playlist of my favorites so far. A good introduction.
I'll end with "From Austin"
Friday at 3:15pm. This is more like it. A long-in-the-making band that was just signed to Elektra. "Rolling Stone" said it best:
Gabriels have followed a more old-school path. At a time when artists shoot out songs like they’re about to be banned from studios for life, Gabriels have put out just five songs since 2018, a mix of haunting gospel, brittle electronics, and harmony-drenched doo-wop — the combination sometimes sounds like someone is playing Philadelphia soul records arranged by Thom Bell at the wrong speed. And instead of displaying viral growth on a platform like TikTok, Gabriels have built a profile by earning nods from old-school tastemakers like Gilles Peterson and the Los Angeles station KCRW. There’s a note of pride in Hope’s voice when he calls the group “the most social media unsavvy trio.”
It's a trio. One from the UK (Sunderland) and two from California (one from Compton). They are based in L.A.
"Professional" is compared to old school Billy Holiday.
I've heard this one. It must be on rotation on KUTX. Maybe we heard on KCRW as well. They're my choice. Maybe hear a little Charlotte Cardin as well.
It looks like they are opening for Harry Styles here in Austin. Great exposure.
Friday at 3:15. Third female pop artist in a row in this time slot. Not sure the reasoning behind that. First, you screw the teens that have to choose between similar musical styles. Second, you alienate fans of other genres that don't have any choices other than dance pop.
Unlike Gayle, an 18 year-old viral sensation with a pop song about the "F" word, Lilyisthatyou is a 21-old viral sensation with a pop song about the "F" word. Different uses, though. It's such a versatile word. See if you can tell the difference in the usage.
Here you go:
Friday at 3:15pm. Another pop artist. She's an 18 year-old from Plano signed to Atlantic Records. According to Wikipedia her single "ABCDEFU" topped the charts in Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. #1 in all those countries at 18. Not bad.
168 Million view. Damn.
Judge for yourself:
Friday at 3:15pm. Four bands on at this time. Only one I recognize is this one. I previewed her for SXSW back in 2016 but we didn't see her. Since then she's released an EP and her first album, which went #1 in Canada and was nominated for multiple Juno awards. According to this article:
The breakout Montreal pop singer-songwriter was named artist of the year, while her chart-topping debut “Phoenix” received pop album of the year, and its track “Meaningless” was selected as single of the year.
"Passive Aggressive" is a nice mellow pop tune. This was her big hit. Has an XX bass beat.
Friday at 2:30pm. Kevin Morby is on at this time so that's my first choice. Another option is Noah Cyrus who has that nice song with Leon Bridges, "July". She seems to be following a more mellow, Americana style than her sister.
The third option is this Brooklyn based musician/song-writer. He used to play with a jazzy instrumental band called Snarky Puppy. Now he's solo and has worked with artists like Kanye and Quincy Jones. It says he plays the Hammond B3 organ. Sweet.
For his jazzy side here is a Tiny Desk Concert of Christmas songs on piano. He also jams with an orchestra for "Purple Rain", playing the guitar solo on a Moog synthesizer while switching to a Hammond B3 for the slow parts. Damn.
It looks like his newer stuff is more funk/dance. Should be a good show. Here's his newest release:
Friday at 1:45pm. This is a hip-hop artist from Broward County. He went viral on TikTok according to this article:
The Viral moment occurred when Zai1k participated in Sadie Jean’s “WYD Now?” Open Verse Challenge. The Open Verse Challenge allows artists to recorded themselves performing their own verse next to Sadie Jean.
Zai1k currently has over 2.3 million likes on his Tiktok and with the iconic bar “Why you got that spoon in my face, back it up some,” it’s no surprise that he has everyone singing the catchy verse.
Here is a clip from that on his Instagram feed. You have to see the video to understand the "spoon" line. Funny stuff.
He has his own music as well. This is pretty good.
Friday at 1:45pm. ACL really knows how to cram all the good artists into one time slot and leave other time slots bare. Same with the days. In my initial first-look at the lineup I had 8 bands on my must-see list. 6 of those are on Friday, 1 on Saturday, 1 on Sunday.
I've liked everyone playing at 1:45. Tough choices. This is another singer out of Brooklyn. She has opened for Courtney Barnett and Mitski. Her latest album was produced by Josh Kaufmann (we saw him with Bonny Light Horseman at Red Rocks. He also played on Folklore and Evermore with Taylor Swift.)
"Crosshairs" is a nice mellow song.
She's opening for Kevin Morby at Scoot Inn on Friday (Oct. 7th) for ACL Nights.
This song is wonderful.
Friday at 1:45pm on the BMI stage. This article says it best:
Originally from Portland, Lauren Luiz’s journey to forming girlhouse has taken her from there to Bristol, Los Angeles, New York, The White House – as part of a sign-language version of a Broadway musical – and now her current home of Nashville. A successful actor as well as a songwriter, girlhouse is Lauren’s bedroom-pop project, taking a similar minimal-pop approach as artists like Snail Mail or Frankie Cosmos.
Here's her IMBD page. I haven't seen anything on it.
I like this song. Defnitely in the Snail Mail/Soccer Mommy pop style. "concussion" is good, too.
Friday at 1:45pm. There are 5 bands playing in this slot so lots of choices. First up is this band out of Brooklyn. Pitchfork says:
Start with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, add one part Robert Smith, two parts Depeche Mode, stir in Kraftwerk-flavored sprinkles...these art-school Brooklynites might have equally fond memories of 2000s indie-dance artists like Cut Copy, Bloc Party, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as their ’80s luminaries.
I like all those bands! They've also covered Pixies and The Replacements. Sounds good to me. Here is their KEXP studio performance. They were in town for Levitation Fest last year.
"Wounds of Love" starts with a very minimal Kraftwerk sound but it picks up.
"The Wall & I" has a New Order vibe. I like it, too.
This one is very retro. I really like them.
Friday at 1:30pm on the Tito's stage. It's Thurman and Torrence Thomas. Two brothers from Geismar, Lousiana which is between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Mellow R&B. This site says:
Showcasing sounds that pay homage to their southern hip-hop, r&b, and rock upbringing, THEBROSFRESH are establishing a new perspective to what’s “southern”. Hard-hitting percussion and aural aggression meet smooth sensibility and aesthetic in a way that has never been experienced.
This is a nice mellow tune. Not much else out there. They are playing Pershing next Friday (Aug. 26th). They've also opened for Durand Jones and the Indications at Scoot Inn and played the Continental Club.
Friday at 1pm. Here we go. Weekend 1 this year. Asleep at the Wheel is on one stage and this singer is on the other. Tamino-Amir Moharam Fouad was born in Belgium and is the grandson of Egyptian singer and movie star Muharram Fouad. He looks to be very popular in Europe, even headlining stadiums.
Pretty mellow. He reminds me of Radiohead. His voice is mix of Thom Yorke and Rufus Wainwright. Here's his Tiny Desk Concert. Very nice. Colin Greenwood is playing bass on it. The Radiohead circle is complete.
I'd like to check this out. A good way to start the day.
Still looking for Wednesday opportunities. Here is the lineup for Wednesday at Cheer Up Charlie's.
From the bands I know it looks to be dreampop/electro-pop/indie rock. The weather should be great for the outdoors. Floodfest is at Mohawk so if it's not crazy crowded we could hop between venues, at least until it gets crowded.
This is a trio out of Louisville. Post-punk. Nice sound.
Wednesday is still unsettled for me. The C3 party has bands we'll be seeing at Luck Reunion. Right now my choice is between the Paste Party at Pershing and the British Music Embassy party at Cedar Street. Paste has 2 stages and bands every 30 minutes. Cedar Street has this with no set times yet:
George Riley is a 23 year-old singer and law student from London. Here's an article about her. Soul/R&B. All I heard was pretty mellow. This looks to be a mellow day except for WH Lung.
I've covered almost everyone playing the Tuesday Paste party at The Pershing but I skipped this one. I didn't recognize the name but we've seen her before when she was with Houndmouth. She left the band and is now solo. Here she is singing "Casino (Bad Things)" live with Houndmouth back in the day.
The songs I've heard are mostly poppy. This is good. She plays at 5pm between Seratones and S.G. Goodman.
Brooklyn Vegan has released the band list for their Thursday and Friday afternoon parties at Cheer Up Charlie's but they don't have set times or days yet. I'm getting impatient...
This is a duo out of Liverpool that is playing one of those days. They are also playing Thursday at Pershing for the Paste Party at 5:30pm. They also play Hotel Vegas on Friday but there is no set time yet.
Stereogum gives them the "Band To Watch" treatment, saying:
Sometimes the music stretches out into post-rock expansiveness (“The Sea Has Stretch Marks”), while elsewhere it feels like Springsteen took a wrong turn down a dingy side-street from his highway to freedom (it wasn’t a surprise when the band covered Nebraska highlight “State Trooper,” one of the creepiest songs the Boss has ever put to tape, in 2020).
You can hear their version of "State Trooper" here. Very cool. That whole performance is great. Makes me want to see them live.
King Hannah songs typically begin with an ominous rumble before gradually erupting into spark-shooting discord, following a similar path from the swamp to the scrapyard as Nick Cave and PJ Harvey before them, while coasting on a dirty-dub undercurrent that suggests a truckstop Portishead.
They're coming back to Mohawk Indoors on May 11th. We'll be out of town.
"Crème Brûlée" is really good.
This song has a Nick Cave vibe.
Another band on the Chronicle's "101 Essential Bands to see at SXSW". They're from New Orleans. They are signed to Third Man Records. This article says of their music:
Their new self-titled debut album jingle jangles its way through the grooviest bits of the 1960s and 1970s, from the Velvet Underground to Television, not forgetting to pay its dues to the swinging psych of The Byrds. The world might be a mess, but Silver Synthetic have just given us a sonic ejector seat.
They play San Jose on Thursday. Here's the stacked lineup:
"Unchain Your Heart" has a T. Rex feel. Lots of that going around this year. This is a new song.
This band is playing 11 sets during SXSW, which could be the record. Here's their schedule. It's a duo originally from New Orleans but now in Austin. This interview with them calls their music:
Through a raw and crude mix of americana, country, rock and a slight hint of trap, is how the American band Me nd Adam, based in Austin, Texas, conveys the new concept of trashwave music.
They are playing the GSD&M party on Monday and Ray Benson's Birthday on Tuesday. If we don't get into either of those they also play Guero's on Friday.
I like the song below. "I Only Feel Alive When I'm Stoned" is one of their newer songs.
I don't usually preview bands we know but Ezra Furman just tweeted out a great thread about coming to Texas and Abbott's transgender attacks. See it here. A sample:
I am coming to show transgender resilience, dissent, protest, rage and joy. I am coming because i won’t let them prevent the thriving of this trans-led small business. I am singing in solidarity with trans kids and their families, with ethical doctors and responsible citizens.
She is playing Container Bar at 4pm Wednesday, San Jose Thursday at 4pm, and Empire Garage Friday at 2pm. At the shows:
We’re playing trans rocknroll and registering people to vote (with @headcountorg) because Governor Abbott has to go. Trans people must be allowed to survive and thrive. This sickness, institutionalized transphobia, is spreading across the country rapidly and dangerously.
One more from the Austin Chronicle list. It says:
Pillow Queens are a fourpiece band from Dublin making impassioned indie rock. The band charges behind braided guitar tones and the twin Irish lilts of vocalists Pamela Connolly and Sarah Corcoran. Where the band's previous full-length, In Waiting, surges behind bass-heavy production, the two singles from their forthcoming album, Leave the Light On, sound like a concerted effort to create some space. The intertwined guitars and heart-pumping drums are still there, but on songs like "Hearts & Minds" the band sounds effortlessly synced – musically and spiritually.
They play the Paste party at The Pershing on Tuesday. It's "A Celebration With Women That Rock". Here is the lineup:
Another band on the Chronicle list is this trio out of Manchester. The Guardian calls them "One to Watch". It compares them to LCD Soundsystem. "Simpatico People" is a mix of them and The Cure. It also says:
the key is their ability to seamlessly meld genres – krautrock, post-punk and synthpop, most prominently – to create songs that are fresh and exciting yet familiar-sounding and accessible.
They play the British Music Museum at Cedar Street Courtyard on Friday at 5:30pm before Strawberry Guy. Could be worth checking out.
I like this song.
The Austin Chronicle just came out with the "Field Guide to the 101 Essential Acts at SXSW". Since it doesn't look like NPR is putting out a list this will be the fallback. No way I can go through all of them so I'll again try to find the ones we have a chance to see. Their summary of this artist:
Petey doesn't enclose himself in a performer's image, music genre, or even a specific side of comedic TikTok. The multifaceted entertainer expands beyond the realms of indie-rock and electro-pop, ultimately forming his sound through blunt lyrics on mental health, relationships, and masculinity. By combining personal reflections with shouted words accompanied by distorted edits, the native Midwesterner creates a year-round playable vibe of relatability and transformative experiences
He now lives in L.A. and even got the New Yorker treatment. Our chance to see him is Wednesday at Mohawk
A really solid lineup.
"Lean Into Life" reminds me of LCD Soundsystem. The song below reminds me of Band of Horses. I really like what I've heard.
Here's another band profiled by Austin360. This article says: "Welsh quartet Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard have quickly garnered a reputation as one of the UK's most promising rock upstarts with outlets like NME and The Guardian gushing about their intoxicatingly cool vibes." It says about their song "Double Denim"
...finds the four young gentlemen looking and sounding like T Rex-era 70’s glam gods, full-clad in tight fitting denim outfits, casually clapping along to their infectiously fuzzed-up single.
Here it is. Fun song. They just released their debut album. They play Cedar Street Courtyard for the British Music Embassy party on Friday along with Me Rex and Penelope Isles. That would be a fun day.
Austin360 put out a list of bands to see at SXSW in the paper today. I'll cover the ones we have a chance to see. First, as they describe her:
The breakout R&B singer scored a hit last year with “Good Love 2.0,” a woozy ode to romance with a slick club backbeat. She told Hello magazine that the song was inspired by the “love marriage” of her parents, who fled Sri Lanka during civil war in the 1980s. Raised in Switzerland, where she grew up singing in her father’s Tamil band, Ragu is now based in London. She also told the U.K. publication that she wrote many of the songs for her debut mixtape, “damnshestamil,” a smooth selection R&B bops, at the Brooklyn studio of her friend, rapper Oddisee.
It looks like she grew up in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Cool!
She plays Cheer Up Charlie's Wednesday at 5pm.
This looks to be a big buzz act. Our chance to see him is Friday at 3pm at Mohawk. I'll let this article describe him:
Joesef is a twenty-five-year-old soul singer from Glasgow, Scotland. His music is the perfect amalgamation of heartbreak, commitment, regret, blind joy, and impending disappointment over upbeat Amy-Winehouse style production.
He's also playing the Rolling Stone/Twitch evening showcases at 3Ten, which are streaming live on Twitch as well. Here are their lineups:
That's an impressive list. Nice to see Buffalo Nichols getting such a high profile showcase.
Mellow soul/ballads.
Playing at noon before Luna Li at Mohawk on Wednesday is this band out of Dundalk, Ireland. They're getting big in Europe. Some quotes from their bio:
“Just Mustard are the real deal. The Dundalk five-piece are currently crunching their way across the UK, their electrifying live sets causing massive word of mouth hype.”- Clash
“A beguiling combination of smoky shoegaze and jagged, harsh noise, like Warpaint wielding a chainsaw” – Noisey
“The heavy atmospherics and stifling textures of the Dundalk group’s strong first album Wednesday make being young sound like chaos and disorder.” – The Guardian
It also says: " Just Mustard were handpicked by Robert Smith to support The Cure at Malahide Castle and their electrifying live show also earned them bookings across leading summer festivals Green Man and Electric Picnic."
Brooklyn Vegan calls their style: "shoegazy, dubby, electronic-inflected sound".
"Frank" was one of their breakout songs from their debut self-produced album. They just released their second. This is from that album.
