Austin City Limits Friday Preview

This is the first year in over a decade that I will not be attending the always entertaining ACL, mainly due to the fact that I’m poor and you can now order beers by simply flashing your wristband. This goes well beyond looking at Euros like they’re fake Monopoly money, this is in fact invisible money. You even have the ability to leave invisible tips for the bartenders. All I know is that I looked up one morning and the next thing I knew, I had dropped close to $500 in three days and I didn’t even get to go to a champagne room where I could get some "special" attention from one or two curvy ladies. I’m sorry, I guess strips clubs are calling them "VIP" rooms these days. Man I’m really showing my age right now.

Anyway, while I don’t believe that this is the strongest lineup ACL has ever had, they still do have quite a few artists you should check out in between posting pics on Instagram and jumping over the old people who are sitting in their lawn chairs desperately trying to hold on to their youth.

First up is In the Whale. They are a two piece high energy rock band out of Denver, Colorado. I never got around to checking them out during their trip to SXSW mainly because I felt like they didn’t have the best melodies in the world. But if all you want is basic grungy rock, then you should definitely check these guys out as they are adequately equipped to deliver just that. The one thing about their show is, they get onstage at 11:30 in the morning; and anyone who has ever partied in Austin knows that at that time you’re just waking up from whatever poor decision you made the night before. So there’s a really good chance that you may only catch half of their show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d_-jlNQnCs

Next up is Talk in Tongues. They happen to be playing at the same time as In the Whale but they bring a low key psychedelic sound to the festival. Now this music is perfect for you if you’re alright with dropping some acid before you’ve even had a chance to get some lunch in your belly, or if you just simply need somewhere to sit while you eat your tacos and figure out your plan for the day. But other than that, don’t expect anything too memorable from these guys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMD68T6sqNA

After checking out either of the two previously mentioned acts, you should stroll on over to see Leopold and his Fiction. Leopold is one of the latest products of the improving local music scene here in Austin. He manages to keep the weirdness of the city with his army haircut and his mustache from the late 1800’s; and he’s also able to almost perfectly blend his bluesy vocals and lyrics with stripped down guitars in a way that’s just short of mesmerizing. Now I’ll admit that I may be overstating the quality of his music just a bit, but when you combine it with his odd appearance, it makes for a fairly decent way to spend your early afternoon. He gets on at noon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akTTfAGSJwI

At 1:00 you should go check out this 5 piece band from England called The Maccabees. They make decent pop music that I surprisingly found myself singing along to but you should know that their music is far from groundbreaking stuff; so I wouldn’t plan on staying around too long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kt3aN6Ey8w

At some point during their show you should head on over to catch the Tribute to Andrae Crouch as that will definitely be a must see. The man was a Gospel legend and he heavily influenced what artists did in this genre for decades. I still to this day find myself singing some of his songs on random Sunday mornings as I reminisce over my childhood. I suggest at least popping for a song before your night of sin begins. They get on at 1:15.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Was9guQJ-0g

Next up is Royal Blood. Now I must admit that I was a bit late getting into these guys mainly because I kept mixing them up with the not as talented Surfer Blood. So many hipster bands, so little time. This will easily be one the harder acts to play ACL this weekend, so that alone makes them a must see. Their musical setup is similar to that of Death From Above 1979’s as they only have a bassist and a drummer but their sound is closer to that of Queens of the Stone Age. They get on at 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhgVu2lsi_k

At the same time Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas will be delighting the crowd with their fun mix of Rnb and rock. Imagine if Amy Winehouse wasn’t so damn serious all of the time; well what you’d get is something similar to this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic36g-jKK_A

I suggest skipping the 3 o’clock acts and saving your energy for Leon Bridges and Billy Idol. Idol is obviously a legend but let’s be honest, you’re really just waiting around to hear Rebel Yell, White Wedding, Mony Mony, Eyes Without a Face,…ok so his entire show may actually wind up being pretty fresh. He plays at 4.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdphvuyaV_I

Now I’m now a huge fan of Bridges but clearly I’m in the minority. I can see this guy eventually winning a Grammy for Best New Artist at some point but I’m still not that impressed as I grew up in a household that actually listened to the original Rnb singers of the 60’s; not these hipster replicas. I will admit however that he’s pretty darn good at what he does, so if this is your thing, you should definitely check him out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTrKkqE9p1o

Run the Jewels will probably wind up being the highlight of the day. In case you are one of the few who has never heard of them, they are the dangerous alternative hip hop collaboration of El-P and Killer Mike. This is as close as you’ll ever get to punk music in hip hop these as there is no subject out there that they are too scared to tackle. This "f the world" attitude and style mixes perfectly with their electronic bass heavy beats and will in all likelihood cause you to be caught in the middle of one of the craziest crowds you’ll ever see at this festival. They come on at 5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-S9mtYowPY

Tame Impala comes on at 6. After they exploded on the scene with an excellent debut album, the talented Aussies thankfully avoided the sophomore jinx and actually recorded a decent follow up with Currents. Now I am not the biggest fan of the new album but I do give them credit for actually trying something different in this otherwise stale genre. I do however love their first album and they are known for bringing a lot of energy to the stage which is somewhat of an oxymoron for a psychedelic rock band. So do yourself a favor and give them a try.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFptt7Cargc

It’s hard not to know who Gary Clark Jr. is at this point, but in case you’ve never actually listened to his music, he is Austin blues rock at its finest. He is an unbelievably talented guitarist who mixes his heartfelt lyrics with distorted guitar and backup soul singers. I’m honestly not even sure what else you could ask for outside of a cameo from Erykah Badu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XITBuWNROk

I won’t waste your time debating which headlining acts you should see but I would strongly suggest popping in on Disclosure. These British electronic artists will have you dancing like a madman all night long. Some of their highlights include Latch with Sam Smith and For You with Mary J. Blige; neither of whom will actually show up to perform with them but it won’t matter. They are a must see Friday and I can’t think of a better way to end day one of ACL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ASUImTedo

Then of course there’s the Foo Fighters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBG7P-K-r1Y