Austin City Limits
So, I made it. I survived the heat, dust, and crowds at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. And much to my surprise, I actually had a great time. As the self-proclaimed “rock and roll curmudgeon” I didn’t have high hopes. There’s nothing I can tolerate less than bad sound, intense heat, and massive throngs of people vying for limited real estate near a stage. Okay, I’ll come clean. I could only stomach two days at ACL, deciding to bail on Sunday in favor of blueberry pancakes at Magnolia Cafe and shopping on South Congress.
Here are some of the highlights of my weekend:
Friday, 4:30pm
My wife and I arrived at Zilker Park mid-day on Friday, just in time to see M. Ward. Backed by a four piece band, Ward wisely kept things rocking since the intimate nature of his more stripped down material would not (and did not) play well in the festival setting. It’s a shame because the hushed simplicity of his quieter numbers is what sets him apart from the pack. “Right in the Head” was a barnstormer while “Chinese Translation” and “Rollercoaster” rollicked with a pleasant country lilt. Aside from the bass heavy, muddy mix (which was no fault of his own, just the festival circumstances) M. Ward and his band sounded great, proving why he’s a major talent sure to have a long career ahead of him.
Friday, 5:15pm
By far the most pleasant surprise of the weekend was Mates of State. I’ve always enjoyed their music in passing, but the duo was recently booted from my 160GB iPod (ouch!) to make room for other acquisitions. Sure, their bouncy pop songs are pretty tasty, but it somehow falls a bit short to my discerning ears.
But man, they sure can play. Augmented by a string section, the breezy ’80s pop of Mates of State provided the perfect soundtrack for a warm September Austin afternoon. Buoyant and full even without the extra instrumentation, the duo dazzled the multitude of fans at the Austin Ventures stage and earned their way back onto my iPod. Way to go guys!
Friday, 6:30pm
Brian already wrote a comprehensive review of a show from David Byrne’s current tour, so I’ll keep this short and add that he totally wowed the huge festival crowd at ACL. Hordes of thirtysomethings danced, whooped and hollered to such Talking Heads’ classics as “Life During Wartime,” Crosseyed & Painless,” “Once in a Lifetime” and “Houses in Motion.” Backed by members of the world-pop combo, Forro in the Dark, Byrne also performed stellar renditions of “Life is Long,” “One Fine Day” and “Strange Overtones” from his recent collaboration with Brian Eno. At 56, Byrne hasn’t lost a step and his voice sounds amazing, barely changing at all from his glory days with Talking Heads. A consummate professional and an incomparable artist, Byrne is a modern-day renaissance man and a true visionary. His performance was a definite highlight of the festival and the year.
Friday, 7:45pm
One of the best songwriters on the planet, it’s a shame Alejandro Escovedo is not a household name. Complimenting his songwriting chops with a fierce live act, Escovedo and his band tore through several of the rockers from his recent album, Real Animal, much to the delight of a robust home town crowd.
Friday, 8:30pm
In a headlining spot on Friday night, Manu Chao certainly had the crowd in the palm of his hand, dancing feverishly to the robust global rhythms and singing along to the Spanish lyrics often praising the wonders of sex and marijuana. Although armed with a crack band that could seamlessly shift from salsa to reggae to punk, after about 5 songs the music started to sound repetitive and formulaic. Nonetheless, the rowdy crowd sure didn’t seem to mind.
Friday, 11:30pm – ACL Aftershow at Emo’s
Led by the tiny in stature but massive in voice Erika Wennerstrom, Heartless Bastards plowed through much of their two albums plus a few new tunes with aplomb and power. Great songs are at the root of the power trio’s tight, muscular rawk. It was the perfect night cap to a long, glorious day of live music.
Saturday, 1:30pm
Jose Gonzalez, channeling Nick Drake, sounded great live. His classical guitar skills and ace songwriting were astonishing in a concert setting, despite the fact that the sun was beating down on me with a ferocious intensity. In fact, although he performed solo for most of his hour long set, he made his guitar pluck, strum, and thump with the fervor of a mad scientist, often making it sound like he had a full band behind him. I would love the chance to see him in a more intimate setting. Here’s hoping!
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
Saturday, 4:00pm
While Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings might have arrived in Austin with the soul revivalist throne, it was the local 8 piece powerhouse Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears that left with it. Possessed by the spirit of James Brown in his prime, Lewis led his band through a fiery R&B set that sent the home town crowd into a frenzy. Impressive.
Saturday, 5:30pm
Jason Spaceman meant business. Positioned far stage left and facing sideways, the chemical worshiping frontman from Spiritualized never cracked even a smirk as he led his band through an ear-splitting, blistering set of primal, fuzzed out, cosmic gospel. “Soul on Fire,” the first single off Spaceman’s triumphant return to the studio, Songs in A&E, was sublime. And it was pure sonic noise as the band delivered “Come Together.” Although the band would have gone over better at night, Spiritualized exceeded my expectations and easily won over the enthusiastic ACL crowd at the Dell Stage.
Saturday, 8:30pm
Beck closed out the evening with a solid, if somewhat predictable, set. Aside from the surprise opening number (”Loser”!), there was little to get too excited about. The again, while I’ve always appreciated Beck, his sonic experiments don’t thrill me. That said, however, there’s no denying how tight the band was as they reeled off one off-kiltered favorite after another. “Where It’s At” was downright funky, while the material from the Danger Mouse-produced album, Modern Guilt, was ably transformed from studio creations to live stage workouts.
Friday, 11:30pm – ACL Aftershow at The Parish
Band of Horses have released two of my favorite records of the past several years, so I was stoked to learn they would be playing an aftershow at the Parish, a small club in the heart of Sixth Street. My wife and I made our way past the drunken frat boys stammering in the street and up the stairs at the Parish, where we caught the second half of James McMurty’s raucous, politically-charged set. Soon enough, a thickly bearded Ben Bridewell and his merry Band of Horses took the stage to an appreciative capacity crowd. Playing off the energy of the crowd, the band performed a rip-roaring set that covered most of their two albums, 2006’s Everything All the Time and 2007’s Cease to Begin. Never losing momentum, Band of Horses proved why they’re a band destined for greatness.
