Out the Other

ACLFest - Day 3 Recap

The third day of the festival was pretty rough.  Sadly, it was the day I was most excited about and the day I wanted to run around seeing the most bands, but I spent a lot of it feeling light-headed and laying low.  I thought the previous day's drinking had caught up with me, or that the heat was finally taking a toll on wussy yankee blood - little did I know that it was ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT DEGREES.  I don't think I've ever been anywhere that it's that hot.  At first I was disappointed that I didn't see everyone I wanted to on Sunday, but in retrospect, I think I handled the day like a champ.

We got there in time to see Ambulance LTD:

We caught the second half of their set and it was pretty good, though the heat was pretty much crippling and I think everyone was noticing it because the crowd wasn't exactly hyped up.  They played "Primitive" and closed with "Yoga Means Union" - overall they sounded great but I don't think any band is suited for those temperatures.  I would definitely check them out in a cooler atmosphere though.

Then we shifted toward the Cingular stage to catch part of Eisley's set:

My friend is a huge fan of Eisley (or at least he's totally in love with one of the girls in the band) but I was never really into them - mostly because I'm really picky when it comes to chick-led bands.  I have to say I was pretty impressed - though I was about to faint, I thought they sounded fantastic.  They seemed really excited to be there, gracious and fun, and I was surprised how many songs I recognized.  If they weren't playing in the scorching dustbin of hell, I might have stayed to check them out.

Instead we headed to the food court, and the lovely shaded tables in front of the Austin Ventures stage.  There, we caught part of the performance by Pong.  Their stage was covered with silver balloons and the band was wearing white coveralls - and my friend Jonathan summed up their oddity quite well:  "they're weird, but they're doubly weird because they're old."  I did hear them play the one song I was familiar with though - "Killer Lifestyle," which was pretty fun live.

Then we went to see M83:

It was an interesting show - if you're familiar with M83, it's semi-spooky mostly instrumental stuff - fantastic guitars and amazing production on the album but I wasn't sure it would translate well to the festival environment.  And I'm still not sure - maybe it would have fared better at night, not just because of the brutal heat but because maybe once it was dark, the proper lighting would convey a more proper atmosphere.  Blindingly sunny and hot isn't the most Shakespearean of weather while listening to M83. 

Four bottles of water in but still nearly in danger of passing out at this point, I decided to take our bamboo mats and scout out a spot in the shade for Doves.  I got to hear the second half of Rachael Yamagata's set while I was hanging out - she sounded pretty great.  The shade was way too nice to leave though. 

Then it was time for Doves:

I had a fantastic spot for their set, right on the edge of the shade so it crept over us as time went by.  And they sounded wonderful - they were actually a band with a sound well-suited for this type of environment (minus the 108 degrees... but you know what I mean).  They were definitely well-suited for my shady ice-eating and people-watching.  They played a mix of material off of their albums, if I remember correctly it was heavy on the most recent release, Some Cities.  They played "There Goes the Fear" which was the song that got me hooked on them, and it was incredible.  I didn't pay attention to the end of the set though, because I ran into a friend from home who was covering the show for PopMatters.  Once he gets his pictures and reviews up, I'll definitely link to them - I'm sure they're better than mine.

Next up was the Bravery vs. Kaiser Chiefs dilemna.  And even with the heat, I really do regret not going to see the Kaiser Chiefs.  Apparently their performance was absolutely show-stopping, the lead singer gave it his all despite nearly passing out a few times himself.  Next time... definitely next time.  I didn't even actually watch The Bravery - I just stayed in my nicely shady spot and listened to them from where I was sitting.  I now have tickets to see them at the end of the month, and I'm sure it will be a better show in a club setting anyway.

Next was The Arcade Fire:

I watched part of the set from the shade where we were sitting, but the video screen just wasn't doing them justice and I was fairly sure I would hate myself if I didn't get a better view of the stage.  So I headed around to the other side and actually managed to get decently close, considering the crowd that had gathered.  I even got a spot in the shade of the stage, which rocked.

Everything they say about the Arcade Fire is true.  They're NUTS.  And watching them on a video screen that only shows one member at a time just isn't the same - you have to see all of them simultaneously to really grasp the insanity that is an Arcade Fire performance.  They all play a zillion instruments and they're all crazy - one will be doing the robot, while another whips around his microphone (from my angle it looked like dangerously over the crowd), while the one that looks like Andy Dick beats on a drum with anything he can find, while another one literally just runs back and forth across the stage.  Ker-azy.  I do kinda like their album but really, the live show is what makes this band.  I would DEFINITELY go see them if they came to town.

After the Arcade Fire, I checked out part of Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men - though not more than two songs or so.  Pretty good, but I honestly wasn't paying that much attention, and it was nothing exceptionally memorable.

Then it was time for The Decemberists - they too are insane, but because they came out in costume, wearing JACKETS, for god's sake.  I thought I was going to die in shorts and a tank top, so I'm not sure how they pulled it off.  I stayed for about half the set and got to hear "July July," which has been a recent fave - but it was nothing compared to the show they put on at Exit/In so I headed over to get in position for Franz Ferdinand.

While I was waiting for Franz, I got to hear the Bob Mould Band - another fairly unimpressive set.  I mentioned in my preview that I'm not a huge fan of his sound although I have an immense amount of respect for his talent and what he means to the music world.  His live stuff didn't do much for me either, but I was pretty far away from his stage.

Next was Franz Ferdinand:

This was probably the biggest dilemna of them all - Franz vs. Wilco.  I decided I would watch Franz and if their performance was uninspired, I would go check out Wilco (like Mike Doughty, a sure thing).  But once they started playing, despite how far I was from the stage, really not able to see much at all, I remembered how much I LOVE their album.  The old one AND the new one.  I've been listening to their impending release for a few weeks now and I guess I didn't realize how great it really is until I heard the songs live.  I think like Bloc Party, it would have been phenomenal if we were up close to the stage, but it was still fun where we were.

After Franz was The Black Keys:

They were DEFINITELY up there with the Walkmen and Bloc Party - one of the best performances of the festival.  Once again, one of my most anticipated - I missed their show a few months ago here in Nashville and my friend went on and on and on about how amazing they were.  I still can't believe all of that sound came out of two guys - I'm pretty sure I've never seen drums played that way, and I've definitely never heard a guitar played that way, EVER.  After a long day of being miles from the stage and suffering in the brutal fires of hell, they were an excellent way to cool down and rock out.  Another band I wish was playing in town... like, tomorrow.

Coldplay ended the entire festival.  I was the least of the Coldplay fans in the group I was with - although I've listened to them often, I don't really have the same emotional connection to their music that I used to.  Part of it may be the group's widespread popularity, the unlikeability of Chris Martin, and the fact that I just don't like their newer material as much as when I first heard them.  But damn if they don't write a good crowd-pleasing ballad.  Coldplay plays the same set every night, but they command the audience - the sound, the lights, the experience - the whole thing is just HUGE.  Hearing "'Til Kingdom Come" was wonderful, and hearing my favorite, "Everything's Not Lost" was goosebump-inducing, but they were nothing compared to "Fix You." 

If you've seen the video for "Fix You", you've seen Chris Martin walking slow-mo through the streets, then sprinting into a packed arena where everyone sings along to the end of the song.  Yeah, that's pretty much what it was like seeing them in a dark and dusty field in Austin with probably 50,000 people - who all sang along.  I guess it was the emotional connection I've been missing with them lately - which is odd, because seeing them in that setting is completely impersonal.  It was an unbelievable way to end the festival though.

ACLFest - Day 2 Recap

My recap for day 1 is here.  And my pictures (plus Becky's, Matt's and Jonathan's) are on Flickr here.

Saturday was beautiful, probably the coolest of the three days, definitely the drunkest of the three days, and highlighted by two of the best performances I saw at the festival.

We started out with Aqualung:

I was pretty excited about seeing Matt Hales and company perform - but when it came down to it, he was a little low-key for the festival setting.  We had just arrived, it was hot but breezy and not really filthy yet, and honestly I think we were all in the mood for something perkier.  He played "Strange & Beautiful" which was gorgeous, as well as "Breaking My Heart" and "Falling Out Of Love" which I love, but I decided he was more well-suited for a quiet, seated venue like 3rd and Lindsley (where I missed him earlier this year).  Apparently he blew away quite a few people with a Queen cover at the end of his set, but we left when he started playing "Tongue-Tied", which is my least favorite song on the album.  I knew we'd have more fun at the next set...

... so we headed to the Heineken stage to see Mike Doughty. 

I think this was the fourth time I've seen him play - and he's allllways a blast.  Mike just started playing with an upright bass player and a drummer (he has been playing with Handsome Dan, his keyboard player, for a while now), and it was cool to see him with a full band.  Their lineup is oddly similar to Soul Coughing but the sound is completely different - "small rock", as Mike calls it.  We caught his cover of "The Gambler" again (he played it last time Becky and I saw him - it rocks), but the highlight of the set was definitely "Hungry Like the Wolf."  The band looked like they were having a blast, the crowd was having fun, and I'm glad we caught part of his set.   Mike Doughty's definitely a sure thing. :)

Next, we grabbed a spot in the shade by the Heineken stage (under a scrawny tree in close proximity to the beer tent) and started drinking.  We got to hear Buddy Guy's set, which carried pretty well from the SBC stage.  I kind of regret not being closer - after Jeff's description of his antics it would have been fun to watch him, but with all the running around and dancing that would come later in the day, it was good that we sat still for a bit.

Next up was Martin Sexton:

Funny how I first heard about him four years ago in Boston, but I would have to go to Austin to actually see him.  What I heard was nice - he has an absolutely AMAZING voice that's even more impressive in person.  I only have one of his albums so I didn't recognize anything he played, but he did jam on a little bit of "Stairway to Heaven" which was pretty cool.  I caught about half of his set and then it was off...

... to see The Frames:

Despite being a bit more buzzed than I expected once I stood up and booked to the other end of the festival grounds, I was REALLY impressed by the Frames.  I managed to get pretty close to the stage and the first song I heard was my favorite, "Fake" - which was even more powerful than I expected live.  Most of the material on their new album is a little sleepy, but live their sound proved to be incredibly expansive and the band was pretty energetic.  They played "Star Star" (I guess their biggest hit, there was lots of singing along) and mixed in a bit of "Pure Imagination" on the violin, which I've heard before on live recordings of the song.  Plus I think they threw in a cover of something, but I didn't write down what it was and now I totally can't remember.  Overall they were pretty great, and I'd definitely go see them if they came to town.

Next it was time for Death Cab For Cutie.  Since I was at the stage adjacent to theirs, I was hoping I would be able to get close... yeah, right.  It was such a major traffic jam of teeny boppers I decided to hang back at the edge of the crowd.  I stuck around for the first few songs (including "Marching Bands of Manhattan") but decided to bail since I have tickets to see them at the end of October.  They did sound great, which is making me excited about their show.

So I met back up with the gang, and we hung out at the edge of the crowd watching Robert Randolph and the Family Band.  And drinking.  Lots of drinking. 

Once again, we were far enough back to not be able to see much of Robert Randolph, but I was wowed by his ridiculous skills on the pedal steel.  John Popper made an appearance too which was pretty cool.  This is another band I would see if I had the opportunity - I think they would be even more fun if we were inside the crazy-dancing crowd and not on the edge of it. 

Next up was The Walkmen:

If you'll remember, the Walkmen played in Nashville on my birthday, two days before we left for Texas.  I passed up on the opportunity but really wanted to see them at the festival - despite the fact they were playing opposite the Fiery Furnaces, who I was also kind of intrigued by. 

The Walkmen were HANDS DOWN the most impressive performance I saw all weekend.  I saw a lot of great bands, but they just blew me away.  Part of this had to do with the fact that I was only familiar with a little bit of their material.  Part of it was the audience, who seemed to be really into it, at least the crowd by the stage, where I was for their set.  But most of it was the fact that they ROCKED.  The band had a phenomenal amount of energy - particularly the drummer, Matt Barrick, who was insanely good.  He was bouncing and grinning and having a blast, playing with a speed and intensity that just made my jaw drop.  And Hamilton Leithauser, god, who knew I would walk away from this performance with a massive crush on a man with that name.  He completely tore it up - another phenomenal display of energy and emotion and stage presence unparalleled by anyone else I saw at the festival.  He had this completely unaffected swagger - all wrapped up completely in what he was singing or playing.  And they they closed with "The Rat" which was everything the studio version is, amplified in every aspect when played live.  Wow.  All I can say is wow.  They were definitely this year's Gomez.

While I was watching The Walkmen, my sister, Matt and Jonathan were getting in position for Bloc Party.  They thought I had no prayer of weaseling my way to the third row by them, but I pulled it off and we got to listen to Jet while the crowd packed in behind us.

I couldn't believe there were this many people here to see Bloc Party:

Bloc Party was a band I really wanted to see - but mostly to judge for myself how good they were live.  My friends had seen them a few months ago in Atlanta at a music festival, and pretty much told me they blew, so my expectations were... a little low.  But I love Silent Alarm (although I admittedly haven't listened to it much lately) and have heard rumors that they are phenomenal at shows.  Phenomenal pretty much sums it up.

I personally think audience enthusiasm has a lot to do with a band's live performance.  An apathetic crowd can be trumped by a really energetic band or a great deal of personal excitement, but an audience that's really into the show can make a big difference for a mediocre band.  Likewise, a motionless, unexcited crowd can drag down a great set.  Fortunately, not only did Bloc Party put on an amazing show, there were literally thousands of psychotically excited people around and behind us.  That's an insane amount of energy to be surrounded with.

Bloc Party definitely rivalled The Walkmen for best of the fest - and the 45 minutes they played was the most fun I had at the festival.  It was definitely the most dancing I did all weekend, and the hottest I was in those three days (even though it would hit 108 the next day).  Plus, the band seemed positively thrilled to be playing for us - and the only complaint I have is that their set was way too short.  I would go see them again in a heartbeat or less. 

Oasis wrapped up the second day of the festival.  After the hours and hours of drinking we decided it might be a good idea to finally eat something, so we had a little picnic toward the back of the crowd.  The band started out with newer material, including "Lyla", and by the time they launched into "Champagne Supernova" we had finished eating and were weaving our way through the crowd trying to get a view of the stage.  The song was completely goosebump-inducing - it was just surreal hearing a crowd of thousands sing this song, perfectly in synch down to the inflection on every word and every note of the guitar solo.  It was unbelievable.  We were no where near enough to see the crazy antics of the brothers Gallagher - acting up as always, and since the crowd was so huge we decided to just head out of the park and get in line for the buses.  Waiting in the bus line, we probably had a better view as we worked our way up the hill near the stage, and from there we heard "Wonderwall" (once again, with full audience participation) and "Don't Look Back In Anger", which was my favorite song when I was 14.  It was awesome to hear them, and they wrapped up their final song, a cover of the Who's "My Generation" just as we were getting on the bus.

ACLFest - Day 1 Recap

Well, it's about time I get back to blogging.  I've been back for about 48 hours and I'm still totally wiped.  Doesn't really help that I came back to work and stepped into the midst of the end of the quarter - but it does help immensely that I only had a two day week.  And that I found out I'm getting a bonus.  HOORAY!

So here goes, my recap from a week ago today.

First up on Friday was Kasabian:

They were the very first band we wanted to see (we literally ran after getting our bracelets at the gate - it was a close call cause our bus driver went the wrong way), and if you recall from my previews, they were one of the groups I was MOST excited about seeing.  Their debut album has been one of my favorites since the beginning of the year, and will probably still top my list come December.  I was a little nervous about their afternoon timeslot - although I had heard rumors that they were phenomenal live, the Texas heat and sunshine can kill a band that usually rocks the club atmosphere.  But Kasabian didn't disappoint.

I wish the audience was a little more into their set (though my sister and I probably made up for what most of them lacked in enthusiasm), but the band ROCKED OUT.  They blasted though all of the best tracks off the album... including "Reason is Treason", "Processed Beats" and "L.S.F" ...plus a few new ones - including Becky's and my new favorite, "The Stuntman."  The basslines throbbed up to our hairlines and Tom Meighan danced as only a British rock star can, whirling then leaping onto the monitors, and pulling bizarre praying stances in his massive aviators.  Plus he profusely thanked the audience a number of times for standing out in the heat to watch them.  And there's something about a British accent that makes even "it's f---ing hot" sound charming.

Next, we hit up the food vendors for some hot and crunchy chicken cones (I think if the hurricane hit after that, it still would have been worth the trip - YUM) and headed over to check out Gov't Mule.  They were pretty chill and I enjoyed them, but we were at a decent distance, just hanging out drinking our first beer.  I did more people-watching than band-watching, but they played a few songs I knew, including "Slack-Jawed Jezebel", and I definitely enjoyed what I heard. 

After a little bit, I headed over to the blissfully shady Capital Metro tent to meet up with Carter and his friend Edi, who were watching deSoL.  The band was a BLAST - I don't know if it was the cool breeze flowing through the tent but I think EVERYONE was dancing.  Especially a super-tan shirtless man wearing nothing but a tiny orange and black fringe-y sarong and a disturbingly strategically placed fanny pack.  His bumping and grinding was a tad horrific, but I couldn't blame him for wanting to shake it like a polaroid picture.  deSoL even played "Spanish Radio", which was the mp3 I had posted in my preview - and it was excellent live.

Next up was Nic Armstrong & the Thieves:

I was VERY impressed by this group, and I'm glad they were a late addition to the lineup.  Not only were they fun and incredibly energetic, but for a band named after one guy, they sure all took a turn on the mic.  Their stage was comfortably in the shade and everything they played was great, which was the formula for a memorable performance.  Apparently they've been hanging out in Austin for the past two months (I heard something about the drummer or bass player falling in love with a girl in town?) and they've been rocking out on the local scene so there were quite a few people in the crowd who seemed to be familiar with what they were playing.  I only recognized the one song that's on Lightning 100 here in Nashville, but I loved the whole set and I definitely want to pick up the album now.

I thought about sticking around to catch the beginning of Soundteam, but I wanted a good spot for Spoon (I decided to completely skip Thievery Corporation).  We camped out in the shade next to the AMD stage and I got to hear the little bit of Robert Earl Keen that drifted toward where we were sitting. 

Then it was time for Spoon:

I love love love Britt Daniel.  Not nearly as much as the chick we were standing by though, who did almost as much disturbing gyrating as the dude in the sarong during Spoon's set.  She came close to ruining the Spoon experience for my sister, but fortunately I was standing in front of crazy dancing chick for most of the performance.

This was the third time I've seen Spoon, and they were amazing, as always.  They played a lot of material off Gimme Fiction (including my favorite - and apparently one of Britt's favorites too - "They Never Got You") and a mix of older tracks like "Everything Hits At Once," "Paper Tiger", "Fitted Shirt", "The Way We Get By", and "Small Stakes."  Wish I wrote a setlist down, but it was an excellent selection.  The crowd seemed into the performance, and although Britt wasn't really showing the rock star presence he positively dripped the first time I saw him, he's Britt, and I still love him.

We wandered a bit after Spoon wrapped up, and eventually caught the end of The Allman Brothers Band:

It was starting to become a dust bowl at the SBC end of the festival grounds - little did we know how filthy it would actually get in the next two days.  But the more we drank, the less we cared, and I got to hear both "Jessica" and "Whipping Post," which were pretty much the two songs I wanted to hear Allman Brothers play.  They played the tracks back to back to close out their set.

Next up was Blues Traveler, which we kinda wanted to check out, but it was getting hectic by their stage.  I came up with the bright idea to listen while getting in the beer line nearest to the stage, so we managed to hear most of "Hook" while waiting for cold Heineys.  They sounded fun, but I'm not that big a Blues Traveler fan.

So we headed over to see Keane, where it was much less crowded, and got to sit on the hill to watch the better part of their set.  Like I mentioned in my previews, Keane is kind of a guitar-less Coldplay, and it seems like they were trying to drum up the same kind of excitement and drama in their performance.  It mostly came off as trying too hard though. I caught two new songs plus "Everybody's Changing", "Bed-Shaped" and "Somewhere Only We Know" - probably the three best tracks on the album.  The songs really are lovely, and I enjoy them in a singing-along-while-driving kinda way, but apparently Keane was lamely piping in elements of the music, and I would just as soon sit at home and listen to their album.  Or not.  The funniest part is that apparently Keane is the most romantic band ever.  It was make-out central in front of us throughout the set.

It was pretty gusty at this point, and it became a problem trying to keep the dirt out of our eyes now that it was too dark to wear sunglasses.  One particular breeze swept a cloud of dust towards us, and my sister's friend threw his arm in front of his eyes to protect them, dumping his entire beer on both of us in the process.  So we tried to stay away from the gritty crowd up front watching the Black Crowes, opting to stay near the back where we could hear well but only kind of see.  I wasn't super impressed, but this was several beers into the evening, there was dirt in my eyes, and I was ready for the pool waiting at our friend's condo.  After we heard "She Talks to Angels" we called it a night.

Pics from the Festival

Aqualung 2
Originally uploaded by out the other.

Well, I just set up a Flickr account and I'm attempting to post all the pictures from the festival (the best of my shots plus Becky's, Matt's and Jonathan's). As far as I can tell, you can find the set here.

107 to 67

Can we just talk about the fact that today's high in Nashville will be forty degrees below the temperature it was in Austin on Sunday???????  Holy shizz.  I still can't believe I didn't die.

Well, I'm home - we got in last night just in time to watch two weeks of Lost. Then we tried to sort through pictures and track down an mp3 of our new favorite Kasabian song, "The Stuntman."  I'm rocking out to it now, getting ready for work and still attempting to process the whole past week.

I'll try to start on my recap asap, but honestly, I have an obscene amount of laundry to do and the first episode of Alias to watch.  I'll try to at least set up a Flickr account or something so I can post the tons and tons of pictures Matt, Jonathan, Becky and I took. 

Off we go, cross your fingers!

Well, let me preface this by saying that my sister and I are both intelligent, well-educated girls with a great deal of common sense.  Our plans for the weekend were to camp - but trust me, we're not complete idiots, and we would never brave a hurricane in a tent. 

That said, we're still heading to Austin in a few hours.  We are FAR too excited to cancel the trip if the festival isn't cancelled - we have a week off from work, a car full of stuff, and an array of backup plans if needed.  Worse case scenario, we drive away from the hurricane - hell, I've never been to Oklahoma! I'm pretty sure it's not going to come to that, but dont' worry about us, we're prepared (and not morons, thank you very much).

I'm going to try to update while I'm away - I discovered mobile blogging today (aka from my cell phone).  I know I can post using a text message, but I have yet to find out if I can post pictures if I send them from my phone.  I sent a picture message a little while ago and it hasn't posted yet, so we shall see.  Even if I can't do pictures I'll try to do super-brief updates here via text message.

Otherwise, I'm back in town next Wednesday night.  Have a lovely week!

Who I'm psyched about

So.  I had been working on posting my planned schedule for the festival - because with all of this previewing and preparation, the question still remains, who will I actually be seeing in Austin? 

Other than possibly hurricane Rita, that is. :-/

But the thing is, no matter how much planning I do, I'll still be making some last minute decisions.  Splitting sets, stopping at stages for random acts I wrote about, running around, etc.  Who knows how many bands I'll actually see.  And I'd rather not put down a list of who I'd like to see, cause god knows it's not going to work out that way.

Today at lunch my friend Britney asked me who the top 10 bands I'm excited about are - so I think I'll tell you who they are.  And why I'm so excited to see them.  Here goes:

Kasabian - because I've been loving their debut album since I first heard "L.S.F." on WBER.  If they convey 25% of the energy on that CD when they play live, they could be one of the highlights of the festival, even if they're playing at the peak of the afternoon heat.

Spoon - because they were great both times I saw them last year (one of those times was at the festival) and because I love Gimme Fiction.  In the past year and a half they've gone from a random band with a funny name I found on Epitonic.com to one of my favorites.  And they're the only ones on this list that I've seen before.

Aqualung - because Matt Hales is amazing, and I love Strange and Beautiful in its entirety.  This is one I missed in Nashville a few months ago, I had flown home to Rochester for the weekend and got back to town after the show had begun.  It was broadcast on the radio, but that just wasn't the same.

The Walkmen - because I'm just intrigued.  Everything I've heard so far has been excellent (both their music and their reviews), and since I passed up seeing the band on my birthday yesterday, I'm going to make a point to see them at the festival.

Oasis - because as I said before, they have a place in my heart because (What's the Story) Morning Glory? was my first CD.  This is the only band playing the festival that I was listening to when I was 14, and they damn well better play something off that album.

Doves - I really love Some Cities, and I would definitely buy a ticket if they came to town.  Like the Walkmen, I'm just really intrigued to see their live set.

The Arcade Fire - because I've never really gotten into them and I expect their live show to convert me into a fan.  Or at least I expect their live show to be pretty darn entertaining.

Franz Ferdinand - cause it's Franz!  I skipped them last year and I don't regret it for a minute - Gomez was hands down the best performance of the festival.  But I do love them, and the odds of them coming to Nashville anytime soon are a bit slim.

The Black Keys - because I really regret not seeing them when they played Nashville earlier this year.  Apparently they're phenomenal live and I'm sick of missing out.

Coldplay - because it's Coldplay.  I didn't want to pay a ridiculous amount to see them at Starwood on Sunday, but at a festival I'm already paying for, of course I'm in.  Annoying as Chris Martin can be, I still have a lot of respect for the band and the fact that four people were in my office yesterday gushing about their show is more than enough to convince me to check them out.

So there we go.  Hurricane or no hurricane, I'm still psyched. :)

ACLFest Preview 1-128 recap

Stick a fork in me, I'm done.  Never thought I would finish but I did - I previewed 128 artists in just under 4 months.  There are actually only 124 artists playing, but four dropped out after I wrote about them. I got help from five guest-bloggers who wrote 18 previews for me. Chances are, I won't even see half of these artists this weekend... 

...but at least I know who's playing, and that was the point. :)

1. Kasabian 
2. Pong
3. Martin Sexton
4. Imagination Movers
5. Joe McDermott
6. Sara Hickman
7. Star Kids Yoga
8. Inara George (no longer playing the festival)
9. Mike Doughty
10. Dios Malos
11. The Black Keys
12. Roky Erickson & The Explosives
13. Aqualung
14. Spoon
15. Federico Aubele (no longer playing the festival)
16. Maneja Beto
17. deSoL
18. Kate York
19. The Fiery Furnaces
20. Patrick Davis
21. The Decemberists
22. Slightly Stoopid
23. Doves
24. South Austin Jug Band
25. Kermit Ruffins
26. Tegan and Sara
27. Sleater-Kinney (no longer playing the festival)
28. Tristan Prettyman
29. Mates of State
30. The Austin Collins Band
31. Mofro
32. Grupo Fantasma
33. Austin Hartley-Leonard
34. Built To Spill
35. The Weary Boys
36. Free Sol
37. Bobby Bare Jr.
38. The Ditty Bops
39. The Futureheads (no longer playing the festival)
40. Grady
41. Tortoise
42. Morgan Heritage
43. Ambulance LTD
44. Jason Mraz
45. Lucas Miller
46. The Palm Elementary School Choir
47. Anthropos Arts
48. The Experiment Experience
49. The Biscuit Brothers
50. Death Cab For Cutie
51. Coldplay
52. The Allman Brothers Band
53. Kelley Hunt
54. The Gospel Stars
55. Rev. Dan Willis & the All Nations Choir
56. The Jones Family Singers
57. The Lighthouse Singers
58. The Shields of Faith
59. Naturally 7
60. Franz Ferdinand
61. Monte Warden
62. Hairy Apes BMX
63. Wayne "The Train" Hancock
64. The Black Crowes
65. Nic Armstrong & The Thieves
66. Mindy Smith
67. The Frames
68. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
69. Asleep at the Wheel
70. Brave Combo
71. The Asylum Street Spankers
72. Kevin Fowler
73. Bruce Robison
74. Kathleen Edwards
75. The Real Heroes
76. Donna the Buffalo
77. The Massacoustics 
78. Bettye LaVette 
79. John Butler Trio 
80. Jet
81. Zykos
82. Bukka Allen
83. Ruthie Foster
84. John Prine
85. Blues Traveler
86. Gov't Mule
87. Oliver Future
88. Missy Higgins
89. Bloc Party
90. Sound Team
91. The Bob Mould Band
92. The Arcade Fire
93. Eisley
94. Drive-By Truckers
95. Jeff Black
96. Casey McPherson
97. Split Lip Rayfield
98. Zap Mama
99. The Lost Trailers
100. Robert Randolph & The Family Band
101. Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca
102. Jack Ingram
103. Kacy Crowley
104. Cory Morrow
105. Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon
106. Keane
107. The Walkmen
108. Lucinda Williams
109. Steve Earle and the Dukes
110. Rachael Yamagata
111. Nine Black Alps
112. Aterciopelados
113. Lyle Lovett and his Large Band
114. Rilo Kiley
115. Blue October
116. Dierks Bentley
117. Robert Earl Keen
118. KJAE
119. Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men
120. M83
121. The New Amsterdams
122. Buddy Guy
123. The Bravery
124. Kaiser Chiefs
125. Thievery Corporation
126. Widespread Panic
127. Wilco
128. Oasis

ACLFest Preview - Oasis

#128.  Oasis

From:  Manchester, England

I didn't save Oasis for the end for any particular reason.  But sometimes it's best to end with the beginning... the beginning of my CD collection, that is.

(What's the Story) Morning Glory? was the first CD I ever owned.  I got as an Easter present. This isn't as momentous as it sounds... the album didn't change my life and it didn't even spark a life-long love for the band.  I never did own another album by Oasis, and I never followed their career very closely.  But for a while I loved that piece of plastic with all of my heart, and I sang along with "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova" and especially "Don't Look Back in Anger" as emotionally as a 14 year-old can.  It was a brief foray into Britpop while I continued to become a huge Rusted Root fan, and listening to that album still makes me feel like I'm fourteen.

Oasis is arguably the most famous band to come out of the '90s Britpop movement, outselling and outlasting most of their contemporaries.  The band had its roots in a group called Rain, which was comprised of Paul McGuigan (bass), Paul Arthurs (guitar), Tony McCarroll (drums) and Chris Hutton (vox), though when Liam Gallagher was invited to join, he pushed for their name to be changed to Oasis.  Liam's older brother Noel came to watch the group's first gig as Oasis, and a few months later, he too was invited to join the band.

The group broke into the mainstream with August of 1994's "Live Forever," which hit the top 10 in the UK. One month later Definitely Maybe entered the charts at #1, becoming the fastest selling debut album in UK history.  Still, this was nothing compared to their follow-up, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, which became the second largest selling album of all time in the UK.  Oasis' commercial success is undeniable; the band has mantained their style thoughout the last decade, even producing the chart-topping Don't Believe the Truth this year after three years without a release.

But it seems like most of the press Oasis has received is not credited to critical reviews, but to tabloid stories.  The band is infamous for their feuds (both external and internal), first with fellow Britpoppers Blur, and then between the brothers Gallagher.  Their bio is peppered with ferry fights and bar brawls, and Liam... well, he hasn't exactly had something lovely to say about every band that's debuted in the past ten years. 

Despite all this, Oasis is the only band playing the festival this year that I was listening to nearly a decade ago.  They may not be my favorite band - or even nearing the top 20 - but for some silly reason, the fact that they were my first CD reserves them a little place in my heart.  And if they play "Wonderwall"?  Well, you can bet I'll be singing like I'm fourteen.

Stream an impressive number of tracks using the "Radio Supernova" feature on their website.

Oasis will play the Cingular stage on Satursday from 8:15-9:35.

   

ACLFest Preview - Wilco

#127.  Wilco

From:  Belleville, Illinios

I would have previewed Wilco earlier, but the truth is - I've been avoiding it.  Not because I think it will be challenging, or because I have nothing to say, but I was afraid I would start listening to Wilco and remember what I'd be missing if I see Franz Ferdinand instead next weekend.  Choosing between those concurrent sets will be the most difficult decision I'll have to make at the festival.

Last year, I honestly didn't really care about Wilco.  "Heavy Metal Drummer" was one of the few songs I had heard by the band, and although I'd heard all the raving about Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, I never listened to them that closely.  At the festival, I didn't really plan to see their set - I only wanted to catch a bit of it if i had the chance.  But catch it I did - and the 10-minute jam of "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" basically smacked me in the face with the worst kind of you-should-have-heard-the-whole-thing regret. 

So it's a good thing I had a chance three days later, after I got back to Nashville, to check them out again.  Wilco played Uptown Mix, a very cool, very cheap outdoor concert series - and. blew. me. away.  Amazing set, amazing energy, the crowd was into it, and I got to hear "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" again in the midst of an ecstatically dancing crowd. Needless to say, I ran out to buy A Ghost Is Born pretty much immediately, and now I have a good portion of the rest of their catalog as well.

So let me do a brief bio if you're not familiar with Wilco yet.  To begin at the beginning, I have to go back to Uncle Tupelo, which was formed in 1987 by Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar - two lifelong friends and singer/songwriters.  The group signalled alternative rock's return to its country roots, and though its influence would be felt throughout the music industry, it essentially dissolved the friendship that created it.  Farrar would go on to form the more tradition-minded alt-country Son Volt, while Tweedy would create Wilco.

Wilco consisted of most of the members of the final incarnation of Uncle Tupelo - John Stirratt (bass), Ken Coomer (drums) and Max Johnston (mandolin, banjo, fiddle and lap steel).  Jay Bennett later rounded out the group, adding a second guitar as well as a more electronic/keyboard sound.  At first an alt-country band fairly in line with Uncle Tupelo's example, Wilco slowly evolved into a more electric, rocking sound, releasing several albums that mapped the transition.  In 2000, Coomer amicably left the group, to be replaced by drummer Glenn Kotche.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was the group's fourth release and a major milestone for the band.  Although the album would meet great critical acclaim, it led to Bennett's departure from the group and tension with Warner/Reprise, who wanted the album to be more"commercially viable."  Unwilling to compromise for their label, Wilco purchased the studio tapes and left Reprise.  But after leaked tracks surfaced on the internet in 2001 and created a buzz around the material, Nonesuch Records picked up the album and released it in 2002.  Many critics would call it the best of the year, and it brought more attention than the band had seen so far in its career.

2004's A Ghost Is Born is Wilco's most recent release, which sees the group continuing to experiment and explore while producing interesting and excellent music.  This was the first album to see the top ten - it debuted at #8 - and the first to produce a Grammy Award for the band - for Recording Package and Alternative Music Album.  Wilco recently announced the release of a live album, which will be available on November 1, and plans to head back to the studio soon.

So I'm honestly not sure if I'll see Wilco at this year's festival.  I think I'll plan on starting out with Franz Ferdinand, who I've never seen live, and staying as long as their performance can overpower the allure of Wilco.  Sometimes I think it's easier if you don't know what you're missing.

Here are some live mp3s courtesy of Glide Magazine:

"Spiders (Kidsmoke)"
"Hummingbird"
"Muzzle of Bees"
"The Late Greats"
"Hell is Chrome"
"I'm Always In Love"
"At Least That's What You Said"
"Ashes of American Flags"
"Heavy Metal Drummer"
"Jesus, Etc"
"I'm the Man Who Loves You"
"Handshake Drugs"
"I'm a Wheel"

Wilco will play the Cingular stage on Sunday from 6:30-7:45.