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

Weekend music preview: The Boxing Lesson, Black & White Years, Mighty Mountain

With Free Week in the books and local acts looking ahead to what promises to be a juggernaut of a South by Southwest this March, there is a ton of new music to check out. This weekend features a vinyl release from The Boxing Lesson, a CD release from art-rockers, The Black and White Years and a show by Austin buzz band... Continue reading at Examiner.com

This weekend: Red, White & Blue Ball; Wheeler Brothers, water slide & fireworks

Music festivals have changed a bit in the past few years. The trend towards smaller, more specialized events that cater to a niche audience has grown. Shows like Austin Psych Fest, Jam Cruise and the Warped Tour are good examples. This weekend the Wheeler Brothers, named Best New Band by the Austin Music Awards headline the Red, White and Blue Ball on Saturday (6/30) at Ball Farm 25 miles southeast of Austin in Dale, Texas. A limited number of tickets... Read more at Examiner.com

Music festival preview: Austin City Limits announces best lineup in years

Late last night, promoter C3 Presents posted the new Austin City Limits Festival lineup. At first glance it looks better than any announcement by ACL Festival in the past few years. We were hoping for Neil Young and Crazy Horse and they are is in the lineup. So are the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy Pop and the Stooges and Florence + the Machine to name some of the headliners. After hearing rumors for years that C3 landed Neil Young and RHCP... Read more at examiner.com