Live music preview: 9 recommended acts at ACL Festival 2015 weekend two

The second weekend of Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Festival) is upon us at Zilker Park beginning tomorrow at noon. For once, it looks like there will be no rain this year (fingers crossed). Here's to hoping that prediction rings true on Monday morning. You are likely asking yourself (if you're a regular reader of this column) why read a weekend two preview when most of the lineup is similar to opening weekend? The answer is simple. We now have the benefit of hindsight. We can look both back to last week and forwards to this weekend's slate of music and intelligently choose our weekend two lineup. It sounds scientific when we say it like that doesn't it?

The truth is there is... Continue reading

Live music preview: 12 bands you should see at ACL Festival 2015 part II

With this second-half installment of our Austin City Limits Music Festival 2015 (ACL Fest) recommendations the emphasis is on the middle-tier acts booked. To our sensibility that is where the gold is found. A good example is TV on the Radio who played an exceptional Lollapalooza set last month. The group was booked on a second-tier stage at sundown. Their performance was spellbinding. They may not get the attention of acts like the Foo Fighters but they get plenty of respect from musicians and hard core music fans. The bulk of our recommendations reflect that sentiment.

The lone exception to our list might be... Continue reading

Live music preview: 12 bands you should see at ACL Festival 2015 part I

We are 13 days from the 14th Austin City Limits Music Festival which means it is time to take a look at the weekend one schedule and plot your attack. The festival is top loaded with talent on Friday which means you are going to have to make some choices on which acts to catch. The bright side is Friday tends to be the least crowded of the three-day event making stage hopping a possibility for those ambitious enough.

We put together a list of a dozen recommended bands. The bands run the gamut genre-wise. There is soul, hip-hop, psych-rock, folk, Americana and punk represented and that's only half of our picks. With the festival safely tucked away in October, chances are high festival goers will encounter ideal fall conditions. According to the National Weather Service the long-range forecast calls for... Continue reading

ACL festival review: Weekend two - Lorde, Pearl Jam, The Replacements, Avetts (photos and set lists)

Austin City Limits Festival (ACL Festival) felt like a repeat of weekend two last year. There was plenty of rain overnight on Saturday... just like last year. Except conditions were not nearly as bad and officials were able to get Zilker Park ready for the approximately 70,000 people who came to see Pearl Jam, Lorde, The Replacements, Iggy Azalea, The Avett Brothers, AFI and more acts at Austin's largest music festival which concluded Sunday evening after six days of performances and countless after shows.

This year ACL Festival was not exactly a repeat of last year's fiasco. Sunday was not... Continue reading at examiner.com

ACL festival review: Pearl Jam, The Replacements thrilled Sunday crowds on day 3

Much like New Orleans' Jazz Fest and Chicago's Lollapalooza, day three at Austin City Limits (ACL Festival) featured the largest crowds of the weekend. The huge turnout was for good reason. Hugely popular act Pearl Jam may have topped their incredible ACL Festival 2009 performance. The Replacements played the same Samsung Galaxy Stage earlier in the day. The legendary garage-rockers are back touring after a 21 year hiatus. Fans also had an opportunity to see local legends Spoon at the opposite end of the park at the Honda Stage. Spoon are taping another ACL TV show this week. An epic day of live music took place yesterday during an equally epic weekend.

Although the rare appearance of The Replacements on the main stage was a hot topic of conversation, the electric undercurrent of excitement around... Continue reading at Examiner.com

ACL Festival review: Day 2 - Eminem, Skrillex, Iggy Azalea, Trombone Shorty photos

More fantastic fall weather graced the second day of Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) this weekend at Zilker Park. We grabbed photos of Eminem, Skrillex, Interpol, Trombone Shorty, Lucius and much more as the largest crowds of the weekend took in all the music. We spotted Adrian Grenier enjoying Snowmine at the BMI stage. The actor and music aficionado has good taste. Snowmine impressed with indie rock hooks and great vocal performances. Iggy Azalea commanded a gigantic crowd at the Retail Me Not Stage. Lucius invited Head and the Heart to guest with them for a chillingly good sunset show. Headliners Eminem and Skrillex battled it out for supremacy at the cost of... Continue reading at Examiner.com

ACL festival review: Beck recap, St. Vincent, Childish Gambino and more pics

C3 Presents, the company that produces Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Festival) could not have ordered more perfect conditions to kick off the 13th edition of the annual event yesterday at Zilker Park in the center of Austin. An overnight storm brought a cooling front to Central Texas early Friday morning and daytime temperatures peaked in the mid-80s with a light breeze.

The great weather meant fans got out early, crowding the lawn at the Four Seasons for KUTX's breakfast shows with Hard Proof, Lake Street Drive and Temples. Later in the day, Beck repeated his... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Top 5 Austin City Limits 2014 headliners from just announced lineup

Early Tuesday (6 a.m. CST) Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Festival) announced the 2014 lineup for the 13th edition of the fest named for the iconic PBS television show. Last year the festival changed formats, moving to consecutive weekends a la Coachella Festival. Marquee names on the just released bill include Eminem, Outkast, Pearl Jam, Beck, Skrillex and Lorde. Below you will find our top five headliners and... Continue reading at Examiner.com

ACL festival review: Day 3 - Atoms for Peace, Lionel Ritchie, Tame Impala, White Denim, Peterson Brothers Band (Photos)

Thom Yorke of Atoms for Peace                        Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro

The first weekend of Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival wrapped up Sunday with beautiful weather. The cold front that moved in Friday evening kept the high temperature below 85 degrees and brought drier air to Austin. For the first time in several years it did not rain during the event. The conditions meant it was comfortable for music fans and Examiner who witnessed sets byAtoms for Peace, Tame Impala, White Denim... Continue reading at Examiner.com

ACL Festival Day 1 recap: FIDLAR, Savages, Pinback, Black Angels, Purity Ring (Photos)

The 12th annual Austin City Limits (ACL) Festival got off to a good start yesterday in Austin's Zilker Park yesterday. For the first time, the festival has expanded to two weekends of performances. Friday marked only the first of six days of live music on eight stages spread across the park. Our coverage focuses on buzz acts... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Dawes Austin City Limits TV taping

Examiner has seen Los Angeles quartet Dawes perform live three times and the band has grown in stature with each performance. The most recent was an Austin City Limits Television (ACL TV) taping at the Moody Theater Sunday evening. Our first encounter with Dawes was a ...Continue reading at Examiner.com

5 Austin music festivals we love and why they kick ass

Due to the extreme heat each summer, music festival season in Austin arrives late in the year. Better late than never. Local music festival afficianados annually pray the weather in Austin will cool off before heading out to catch national and local bands as the summer wanes. In this week's list we tell you about our favorite five Austin music festivals and tell you why...continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: White Denim thrills at Blues on the Green ACL Fest preview

On one of the hottest days of the summer, the final KGSRBlues on the Green (BOTG) at Zilker Park featured a preview of local bands invited to Austin City Limits Festival (ACL Fest) this year. White Denim, My Jerusalem and The Preservation performed in front of an estimated 8,500 music fans at the last Blues on the Greenthis year in what amounted to a mini... Continue reading at Examiner.com

Live music review: Alabama Shakes, Lee Fields and the Expressions at Stubb's

Brittney Howard of Alabama Shakes   Credit: Casey Brewer

Last Thursday evening, the night before music fans got to set foot in Zilker Park for Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) soul crooner, Lee Fields got things going with an emotional performance that was equalled by the amazing... Continue Reading at Examiner.

ACL Fest review: The Eastern Sea, Royal Teeth, Polica, Lumineers, Die Antwoord

Polica at ACL Festival 2012

The Sunday edition of Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) began with sunny, warm weather following overnight precipitation that helped dry out Zilker Park after rain showers on Saturday. The day kicked off much like Saturday with a performance by an Austin band. This time it was... Continue reading at Examiner.

Live music review: ACL Festival, Weezer, Delta Spirit, DJ A-Trak

Weezer

There was much to be thankful for at Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Festival) as the 11th annual event got underway at Zilker Park in the heart of Austin yesterday; The festival grounds held up to the rainy weather on Thursday, the wristband scanner system worked well enough to keep lines at the entrance to a minimum and the music performances were... Keep reading at Examiner

Live music review: The Shins at L.A.'s Gibson Amphitheater before ACL Festival

While in Southern California last week we could not resist the urge to check out The Shins at the Gibson Amphitheater on the heels of their appearance on Conan O'Brien and before they hit town for Austin City Limits Festival. Although we like the The Shins' recordings, seeing their live show raised our... read more at Examiner.com

Live SXSW music review: Delta Spirit, Springsteen, Quiet Company, Soldier Thread

With one half of SXSW music week behind us, we took a look back at the standout performances thus far. Rather than take the approach of skipping local acts we can see all year, Austin bands were mixed into our schedule with national acts. There were notable appearances by Spirit Animal, Delta Spirit, Bruce Springsteen, Ruthie Foster, Carolyn Wonderland, The Soldier Thread and Built To Spill. 

Continue reading on Examiner.com Live SXSW music review: Delta Spirit, Springsteen, Quiet Company, Soldier Thread - Austin Concerts | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/concerts-in-austin/live-sxsw-music-review-delta-spirit-springsteen-quiet-company-soldier-thread-review#ixzz1pIqfQvrH

Spirit Animal (NYC)

SXSW music preview: Top 5 day parties

We know how daunting the listing of South by Southwest (SXSW) parties can be so we waded through a gargantuan pile of invites and selected our top five day parties for you. Below is only a sampling of the hundreds of events planned next week when the music officially kicks off on Tuesday. We chose one day party to highlight through Saturday. Yes, SXSW events scheduled on Sunday, but if your calendar is as full as ours is, you are going to want to rest at the end of what promises to be a jam-packed week of great independent bands performing in Austin.

Continue reading on Examiner.com SXSW music preview: Top 5 day parties - Austin Concerts | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/concerts-in-austin/sxsw-music-preview-top-5-day-parties#ixzz1oGzyAWNn

Live music review: Oh Snap! Benefit ends w/ power outage, Blackout Party Feb 10

In a bizarre twist, the Oh Snap Benefit ended Saturday evening with a downtown outage that knocked out power to portions of Sixth Street including the host venue, The Parish. The outage occurred around 11:30p.m. as Lauren Larson ofUme was tuning up her guitar in the green room for their headlining set. Once it was determined that power would not be restored immediately, it became apparent that Ume along with Smoke and Feathers, The Bang Bang Theodores and Superlitebike would not perform as scheduled.
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