Saturday at 1:45pm on the BMI stage. She played Luck Reunion this year as part of the BMI Songwriter's showcase. Preview here. We missed her.
This article/interview provides an update since Luck. She's moving from Nashville to Los Angeles and her debut album is supposed to be released in the Fall. She's currently opening for Whitney on tour.
Temper City is an Israeli-American alternative rock band based in Los Angeles...The musical style of the first single is reminiscent of 2000s indie rock bands such as Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, and Foster the People.
It also says:
On February 15, 2026, the band released its debut single, "Self Aware," under the Thirty Knots label. The song became a viral success of unprecedented scale for Israeli artists on the international stage. It climbed to number one on the viral charts of Spotify and TikTok in 42 countries, including the United States, the UK, Israel, and Australia. Additionally, the song entered the US Billboard chart, peaking at number 60 making the band the first Israeli act to appear on that chart.
Posters on Reddit think they are an industry plant. They've only released 2 songs and no albums yet they were booked for ACL just months after releasing their first song. Hmm.
Annie DiRusso is a Nashville based indie-rock artist born in NYC, who wears the influence of both of these cities on her sleeve. She blends buzzing garage rock guitars and high-energy performances with a pop-infused flair. The magic she creates in her hooks and melodies is apparent in her eight previously released singles, quickly turning casual listeners into hardcore fans.
Night Tapes are a British-Estonian dream pop band based in London, formed by Estonian singer Iiris Vesik and English musicians Max Doohan and Sam Richards...Night Tapes' music has been described as dream pop blended with electronic, ambient and trip hop elements, characterised by Vesik's layered vocals over minimalist drum loops and synthesisers. NME characterised their output as hypnagogic pop with shoegaze textures.
"storm" is off their most recent album. Chill ambient tune. ACL likes to start the day with these bands.
Saturday at 12:45pm. I can't find much on this performer. Google AI says: "Left Lucid is the Austin-based DJ and electronic music producer alias of Lucas Ogden."
He's DJing tonight at Eberly and plays September 11th at Brushy Street Commons.
Emmett Rogers Fightmaster (born 8 June 1992), known professionally as E. R. Fightmaster, is an American actor, producer, and writer. Fightmaster is known for their work on Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Kai Bartley, and through their solo music project Fightmaster (stylized in all caps)...Fightmaster is a former member of The Second City's Chicago and touring companies. Their previous work includes performing with Boom Chicago, an English-language comedy troupe in Amsterdam.
We saw a segment about Boom Chicago on either CBS Sunday Morning or 60 Minutes.
They are non-binary and play a non-binary doctor on Grey's Anatomy. They've released 2 EPs and 1 full album in June. They've opened for Lucy Dacus and Lord Huron.
Friday at 8:40pm. It may be tough to stay late enough to watch this but I'll try to make a case for watching some of it. First, some facts I didn't know about her. From Wikipedia:
Charlotte Emma Aitchison was born in Cambridge, England, on 2 August 1992, the only child of nurse and flight attendant Shameera and entrepreneur and talent agent Jon Aitchison. Her mother was born into a Muslim family of Gujarati Indian descent in Uganda and moved to England after they were expelled by the Idi Amin regime. Her father is Scottish.
That's the third person I've come across recently that is descended from Indian Muslims expelled from Uganda. The second was a main suspect in the book I just read "London Falling". It was the first time I learned about that diaspora. The third person is NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
I pulled the setlist and created a Spotify playlist for it. I listened to the whole thing since I don't really know her music. It was a very eclectic mix.
I really like her new album "Music, Fashion, Film" and she plays a lot from it. Her previous album "Brat" was a cultural phenomenon. It's more straight-up dance pop than her new album which incorporates rock and heavy guitar. The cover is pretty cool, too, with John Cale, Marc Jacobs and Martin Scorsese. Music, Fashion, Film.
If she plays a similar setlist she'll start off with a few songs off her new album. It could be worth it to stick around for a bit.
Molly Santana is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for her guest appearance alongside Future on Drake's 2026 song "Ran to Atlanta", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100...Santana is of Japanese and African American ancestry, and grew up in Fontana, California.
Friday at 6:30pm. I previewed a hard rock band called Labrinth that I thought played ACL in 2023. Preview here. That's not the Labrinth that played. It was this Labrinth then and now. Oops. I'm out of touch.
Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is a British singer, songwriter, composer, and record producer. Labrinth signed as a recording artist with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Music in 2010.
It also says:
He has been referred to as "one of the most important British musicians of his generation". Labrinth has worked with numerous artists as a songwriter and producer including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Kanye West, and the Weeknd.
He scored the soundtrack for the TV show "Euphoria". "Formula" is on it. It looks like that show was his breakthrough.
Steven Hiroyuki Aoki is an American DJ, record producer, and music executive who blends electronic music with pop, hip-hop, and rock. Born in Miami in 1977 and raised in Los Angeles, Aoki started by putting on hardcore shows. He founded the independent label Dim Mak in 1996, which releases music ranging from indie rock to trap. In the late 2000s, Aoki shifted his focus to production, collaborating with EDM artists like Afrojack, Tiësto, and NERVO.
Friday at 6:15pm. Hard rock from Baltimore. They've been around since 2010. According to Wikipedia:
Originally a hardcore punk group, Turnstile's breakthrough third album Glow On was released in 2021, earning critical acclaim and three Grammy nominations. Their fourth album Never Enough was released in 2025 and charted in the top 10 of five countries, including the U.S. The album received five Grammy nominations, making Turnstile the first band to be nominated in the rock, alternative, and metal categories in the same year. The band won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for their song "Birds" and Best Rock Album on February 1, 2026.
Levi Wijk (born January 3, 1996), better known as Bunt (stylized as BUNT.), is a German folk DJ and record producer...BUNT's musical style is described as "electronic folk music" and noted to be heavily influenced by late electronic music pioneer Avicii along with influences from musicians such as Justice, Basement Jaxx, Swedish House Mafia and Calvin Harris with elements of Fred Again..
Friday at 4:30pm on the Beatbox stage. According to Wikipedia:
Ruslán Mediavilla (born 1999), known professionally as Rusowsky (stylized in all lowercase), is a Spanish singer, songwriter and record producer. His music explores underground and avant-garde genres such as bedroom pop, R&B, reggaeton, techno, hip hop and even jazz...Rusowsky was born into a Belarusian family; his mother was a member of a Belarusian folk group. He has a classical music background, with knowledge of solfège, and plays instruments such as the guitar and piano.
Brandon Flowers is his name, and though the rest of the world knows him as the frontman for the new wave rock and roll band The Killers, he might have just accidentally hauled off and made an Album of the Year contender in country, with perhaps a couple of Song of the Year candidates as well.
High praise. He does a good breakdown of the album and talks about each song.
Friday at 4:30pm. Rock band out of Melbourne. According to Wikipedia:
The band takes its name from the slang for amyl nitrite, also known as poppers. Taylor compared their music to the drug in an interview with Paul Glynn of the BBC: "In Australia we call poppers Amyl. So you sniff it, it lasts for 30 seconds and then you have a headache – and that's what we're like!" Their sound has been compared to 1970s punk rock groups such as Iggy and the Stooges and the Damned. Taylor has cited a number of varying influences including Minor Threat, Ceremony, AC/DC, Sleaford Mods, Dolly Parton and Cardi B.
They've toured through town quite a few times. They opened for Turnstile at Moody Amphitheater and have also played Stubb's and Empire Garage. They played SJSanJose at SXSW in 2019. I never previewed them.
Here is a live performance on KEXP with an audience. One of the comments says she's a raging ball of energy. Yes. They could not have scheduled a greater polar opposite stage presence than these guys and Jesse Welles.
This is their closing song in that set. I would enjoy this but don't think it's up your alley.
Friday at 4:30pm on the Tito's stage. Jesse Welles is playing at this time so FYI only. This is the Rebecca Black of "Friday" fame. She recovered from that and has released a couple albums that were generally well received. She has a new album coming out in September. She has toured with Sabrina Carpenter and Katy Perry.
LP, born Laura Pergolizzi, is an American singer-songwriter known for her unique voice and androgynous style. Her heartfelt lyrics explore past, present, and future relationships. LP has released seven albums and three EPs, and her major label debut, Forever for Now, featured the hit “Into the Wild”. Her 2016 album Lost on You included the international hit title track, which achieved Diamond status in France and Mexico.
Despite being around for years I'm drawing a blank on her. Refresh my memory if I'm forgetting something. She played ACL in 2012 but I didn't write about her. She has also played Stubb's multiple times. Not my wheelhouse I guess.
Friday at 3:30pm on the Beatbox stage (other side of Barton Springs Rd.). We saw him at Luck Reunion in 2025. (See preview here.) I liked him. Great show. I think his parents were near us.
Friday at 3:30pm on the BMI stage. Some excerpts from this bio:
Izzy Escobar is a songwriter and artist from Massachusetts...With classical roots in violin and a passion for piano...Influenced by her Cuban and Italian heritage.
According to this interview her father is from Cuba. She says:
I look back at all my favourite older jazz records, and I love Sarah Vaughan, Carole King, Julie London, Norah Jones. I still really gravitate towards those piano-heavy songs, years later.
Friday at 3:15pm on the Tito's stage. According to this bio:
Born and raised in Austin TX, Bo Staloch is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter based in Nashville. Through the release of his debut single ‘Springtime Red Tulips’, he has gained the attention of many, including some of his biggest idols and inspirations. Bo has a very unique sound that blends the worlds of Americana, Country, Folk, and Pop.
According to this interview his EP was "crafted and completed alongside producer Andrew Wells (Ellie Goulding, Halsey) at the legendary Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills of LA."
He's signed to Capitol Records. He hasn't released a full album yet, just singles after releasing the EP.
He seems to be touring all over the U.S. and Europe and hasn't played many Austin shows.
Sitting in the lineage of the likes of Florence + The Machine and AURORA, the British singer-songwriter is not one to shy away in her music. She rose to prominence in the past few years with her dark-pop-indie-folk musings, all woven with a candor that is both personal and universal.
She has released one album and has another coming out September 4th. She has opened for Florence + the Machine and Stevie Nicks. Not bad.
CMAT is the stage name of Irish singer-songwriter Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, known for her radio-friendly pop with a country influence. Her music blends alternative, indie, country, and pop to create humorous and honest tunes. Born in North Dublin in 1996, CMAT grew up listening to contemporary pop and classic country, and started making music at age 17. She first gained attention as part of the Manchester-based duo Bad Sea, formed with a bandmate she met on Tinder.
New Constellations is an American dream pop and synthwave duo based out of Portland, Oregon...New Constellations was founded by childhood friends Harlee Case and Josh Smith.
"Hesitate" is a collaboration with Bayonne. Maybe he'll join them on stage.
Friday at 2pm. This Austin musician has been playing a lot around town (Blues on the Green, 04 Center, CBoy's, Zilker Botanical Garden, Bullock Museum) but we've yet to see him.
Friday at 2pm on the Tito's stage. According to Wikipedia:
"King" Solomon Hicks (born February 8, 1995) is an American guitarist, blues, jazz singer, and composer. His style of music ranges from jazz, blues, classical, gospel, R&B, funk, Afro-Cuban, and classic rock.
It says he was born in Harlem. He started playing at 13 and performed at the Apollo Theater as a teen.
Friday at 2pm. File this under the "I'm out of touch" category. According to their website bio:
Adam Fischer and Hunter Glaske launched Night Traveler in 2018 with nothing but a song: no fanbase, no live shows, just their debut single “1984” released into the void. Within a month, it had 100,000 streams.
The music spoke for itself.
Since then, the Austin-based duo has refined a signature sound that draws comparisons to The War on Drugs and The Paper Kites while carving out distinctly their own lane.
They have 178K monthly listeners on Spotify. Their songs have over 3M streams. Strangely, they only have 188 followers on do512 and their last show was in 2024 at Brushy Street Commons. They haven't performed or toured since.
"Missing You" is them live at Parish/Brushy Street. They're more pop/ballads a la Bryan Adams than rock like War on Drugs.
I guess that's why I don't recognize them. I can't find what they've been up to in the interim.
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.
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.
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.
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.
