ACL 2022: Zach Bryan

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 high

Knowing some day has been here the whole damn time

There's a sun set setting, I ain't forgetting

The blood that made my heart warm

Today 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"

ACL 2022: Gabriels

 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.

ACL 2022: Lilyisthatyou

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:

ACL 2022: Gayle

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:

ACL 2022: Charlotte Cardin

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.

ACL 2022: Cory Henry

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:

ACL 2022: Zai1k

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. 

ACL 2022: Cassandra Jenkins

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.

ACL 2022: girlhouse

 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. 

ACL 2022: Nation of Language

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. 

ACL 2022: THEBROSFRESH

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.

ACL 2022: Tamino

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.