(well, that looks terrible, doesn't it? Someday I'll understand web design. NO, actually, I know I never will. Oh well)
They just uploaded the new map, and here is what I notice right off the bat - it looks like the Barton Springs stage is now named the IHG Hotels and Resorts stage. Which is weird, since the schedule printouts I have still say Barton Springs, but I guess they popped up at the last minute with some cash. Jerks. Now I have to go change my schedules.
In addition, that stage is now rotated. Maybe it is just the way they drew it this year (pretty blue box with wings) versus last year (tiny black rectangle) but it looks to be moved back and rotated more towards the Amex stage. Who knows how it will really look.
Still three main entrances, which appear to be in the normal spots. GA+ and VIP are still shoved behind the Kiddie area, and there will probably still be a bunch of bitter a-holes over near there who get mad when you try to fit through the gauntlet of their chairs and blankets to get to the entrance for the Amex stage. Looks good!
One Liner: Massively popular Irish blues rock with the Take Me To Church song
Wikipedia Genre: Indie rock, soul, blues, folk, R&B, blues rock
Home: Ireland
Poster Position: Headliner! Both Weekends. Sunday at 6:15
Thoughts: I'm getting towards the end of my reviews, and I have been holding off on doing this one, in part because this guy confounds me a little bit. I really liked his first album, but I haven't paid attention to him since. And yet when he was named as a Headliner (!?!?!) for this year's Fest, I heard multiple people straight freaking out that he would be here. My neice-in-law said that she is dying for a Hozier tattoo. I heard more than one person say there are more excited about Hozier than anything else on the poster. Which is, huh?
Now, don't get me wrong, I loved that 2014 self-titled album. I've professed my love for it repeatedly on this blog. In my preview for his eventually cancelled 2014 ACL show. In my top ten for the 2015 Fest. In a short review of his album. In my top albums of 2014 post. In my review before he came to ACL in 2015. This disc is full of very great music. He went 6 times platinum in Ireland and 3 times here in the States. It was a major album. It also came out nine years ago though.
"Take Me to Church" is the juggernaut, the unstoppable tune that has FUCKING TWO POINT ONE BILLION FUCKING STREAMS despite being rock and roll. Holy shit. I CANNOT believe that this song has over 2 billion streams. That is seriously mind-boggling.
Jacked up video though... You might recall that he was scheduled to come to ACL in 2014, but called in sick or something and we missed out. Which bloooooowwwwws. Then he came back the next year and was very good. The portions that I didn't like in 2015 were his cover tunes, so hopefully now that he has a few discs out there he'll shy away from dumb Ariana Grande songs. But, if "Take Me To Church" is all you know from this guy, then by all means, keep listening. He's good. I heard a cover version of "Work Song" the other day, and it reminded me how damn pretty that one is. 361.8 million streams.
Beauty. The excellent "Someone New" has 420 million streams, and the similarly nice "Cherry Wine" boasts 433.9 million streams. These are big hits. But my favorite from all of them is "Jackie and Wilson." 219.5.
Hells yeah. Its honestly hard to believe this dude is from Ireland. Great tune. I still listen to that one today.
After that original disc, he released a four song EP, called "Nina Cried Power," in 2018. The first track, featuring Mavis Staples, is a power blues rocker about stepping up in the face of oppression, that gives shouts to everyone from James Brown to John Lennon for fighting the power. The second tune is a dark, slow, burning warning to those who might mess with his baby called "NFWMB." I like that one a lot. Third song is a more traditional blues rock stomper, "Moment's Silence (Common Tongue)," that sounds like Hozier's prior songs. "Shrike," the fourth and final tune, has that lilting Irish guitar sound that he uses to great effect on the first album, which adds some cool depth to an otherwise relaxed ballad. Aside - what is a "shrike?" "a songbird with a strong sharply hooked bill, often impaling its prey of small birds, lizards, and insects on thorns." Criminy. I need to go listen more closely to those lyrics, is this a song about Bird the Impaler? Yep, the chorus says that he wants to be reborn as "the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn." So, in his next life, he wants to be the killer that uses her thorn to store his murdered prey? I'm more confused now that when I started.
After that, he came out with 2019's Wasteland, Baby! It does not appear that I ever reviewed it - this is what I mean, he just kind of fell off the map after his big debut album. I say that, and yet it is a really good disc. I've just run through it several times and it is lovely music. Why did I start ignoring this cat? The hit was "Almost (Sweet Music)," with 334.2 million streams.
oooh, super wide angle video! So cinematic! Lovely little tune - his voice is really singular. Hard to believe he's an Irish dude when he sounds like a soulful throwback singer from some 50's rock band. Speaking of which, who is this dude? I've talked a lot about his tunes but not about him.
Andrew John Hozier-Byrne was raised in County Wicklow, Ireland, which is on the eastern shore of the island and is named after the Old Norse for Vikings' Meadow. Badass. Also, sounds like a beautiful place - known as the "Garden of Ireland." Born in 1990 to a blues drummer and an artist, and says that he was a class clown and that school was a monotonous nightmare. He taught himself guitar and sang in his school choir as a teenager, and then studied music education at Trinity College Dublin. At Trinity he sang in a choral ensemble, touring internationally. But after that time, he wrote "Take Me To Church" in 2013 during a period when he was playing open mics and trying to get noticed. The tune went viral and scored many multi-platinum designations, leading to his first album by 2014. He has stated that his dad's love of blues helped inform his musical education - John Lee Hooker, Otis Redding, Nina Simone - and you can hear that in his bluesy rock.
Finally, 2023's Unreal Unearth. I've definitely heard "Eat Your Young," the bigger hit from this one. I guess that has been on the radio or something, totally rings a bell. 93.1 million streams.
Cool video. Song is okay - not blowing my mind. I like the duet with Brandi Carlile. Also, this album is too damn long. Over an hour for a Hozier album? What do you think this is a Drake release? But, like the 2019 album it is good stuff. Dawning on me that I really like Hozier. Who knew? I guess I'll be over there instead of seeing the YYYs.
One Liner: That "Stay High All The Time" electropop girl Wikipedia Genre: Electropop, Synth-Pop, Dance Pop, Indie Pop Home: Stockholm, Sweden Poster Position: 1 (4) Slot: Saturday at 7pm Thoughts: Last played here in 2017. I reviewed her 2014 debut album Queen of the Clouds years ago and liked parts, but found the album overall pretty forgettable. I'm going to steal a part of that old review to mention how disturbing her big hit is.
"Habits" is kind of disturbing - its a song about getting high all the time to keep from missing her honey, she's generally singing about doing sad and gross things because she's alone, including: "Pick up daddies at the playground, how I spend my day time, loosen up their frown, make 'em feel alive, make it fast and greasy, I'm numb and way too easy, you're gone and I got to stay High, all the time, to keep you off my mind." Wow. And the video is also a super depressing trip through her sad party time life.
Those lyrics are still disturbingly arousing to me. Oh wait, did I say arousing? I mean, uhhh... The song is now up to almost 756.4 million streams on Spotify (over a billion if you add up the original and the remix) (up from 475 million in 2017, when combining the original and remix). Here is the video, with 438 million views on its own.
So depressing and dark! But don't it just make you wanna dance! "Talking Body" is also a big hit from that same album - 560.6 million streams. And a real deal pop banger.
Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson is her real name, and she's from Sweden. Rolling Stone called her "Sweden's darkest pop export" and Wikipedia says that she is known for her "raw, grunge-influenced take on pop music." She was in a band for a bit called Tremblebee, but then went solo working with some major producers like Max Martin and Shellback. her stage name is based upon a nickname from her godmother - although the story is confusing since "Tove" is in her name, but according to Wikipedia, there was a lynx at the local zoo named Tove that she "totally fell in love with," and a singular lynx in Swedish is a "Lo." So, Tove Lo. She is also friends with the group Icona Pop, and lived with them for a while.
Since that 2014 album, she more recently put out the unfortunately named Lady Wood in 2016. The hit from that album is "Cool Girl," which clocks in at 377.4 million streams.
Nope. That is terrible. "Imma cool girl. Imma imma cool girl. Ice cold, I roll my eyes at you boy." This is like some Avril Lavigne in 2004 crap here, just with electro beats instead of rawkin' sk8tr guitars. Ugh. If that song stays in my mind (which it was likely scientifically created to do) I am going to be pissed. The next album was the unfortunately named 2017's BLUE LIPS (lady wood phase II). I gave it a shot, and it likewise is not good. Pop dance stuff with super repetitive choruses (chori? chorusi?). No thanks. The fact that this is poster line 4 means that I am either out of touch with the world or the poster maker was high all the time and boning old greasy dudes in playgrounds.
After that, she released 2019's Sunshine Kitty and 2022's Dirt Femme. Some of those tracks have numbers, like 70 million and stuff, but nothing like the big hits from the debut album. The biggest from the new album is "No One Dies From Love" at 65 million streams.
Slow to build up that one, but after the first chorus, it definitely kicks in. I am not going to deny that her stuff is catchy and danceable and exciting. Just super not the normal type of tunes that I gravitate towards. Bummer for the big fans of this type of music, that Bob Moses is at the same time. Two electronica people at the same time is a tough draw. I'll be over there squeezing up close to the Foo's stage, so y'all have fun with this one.
One Liner: Big-voiced sophisti-pop and disco-fied R&B
Wikipedia Genre: Sophisti-pop, disco, R&B, electronic, soul
Home: London Poster Position: 3 (9) Both Weekends.
Saturday.
Thoughts: I truly believe that she has been on the poster before, but I don't see any review in my history, and four seconds of research didn't bring her up. Maybe I'm just conflating her with some other big-voiced British singer. While I like the term "sophisti-pop" I got from Wikipedia, this is very disco-fied in my opinion.
In 2015, I reviewed one of her albums. Not sure why. But here are my thoughts from back then: "Jessie Ware - Tough Love. Another falsetto-draped singer over electronic music. Not sure how I've found the treasure trove of these ladies recently, but I feel like I'm losing a connection on which one is Tove Lo, FKA Twigs, Banks, and this gal. That being said, I like the majority of this album. "Keep on Lying" sounds like I made it on my Casio 2000 in 7th grade, but "Tough Love" starts out like "When Doves Cry" and then goes through a solidly sad love song. "Cruel" brings a dance-able beat and more clever lyrics about love and relationships. And "Say You Love Me" turns off the falsetto to showcase a really fine voice. This is a nice album, but its just outside of my zone. I doubt I'll keep it around."
Her older sister is an actress who is best known for things I've never heard of - Emma Kane in the Starz political drama series Boss (2011–2012) and as Sara Hanley in the ABC primetime soap opera Betrayal (2013–2014). Some other strange ties - she went to school with Florence Welch, she worked as a journalist at the Jewish Chronicle, and later was a work colleague of the lady who wrote Fifty Shades of Grey. She has a podcast with her mom called Table Manners, and has had a who's who list of guests including McCartney and Ed Sheeran. She is a fan of Manchester United.
"Shake the Bottle" sounds very much like Madonna in parts. One track is much more streamed than all the others - here is "Say You Love Me," with 185.1 million streams.
Really pretty, great voice, but also solidly in the realm of boring for me. Ah, this was on the Fifty Shades soundtrack - that is probably why it has so many streams. Also, the song writing was assisted by Ed Sheeran. 5 proper albums, so she has been at it a while, with 2012's Devotion, 2014's Tough Love, 2017's Glasshouse, 2020's What's Your Pleasure, and 2023's That! Feels Good! (got some Shania Twain exclamation overuse there). After that track above, her next biggest tune is "Wildest Moments," from the debut album. 52.4 million streams.
Nice, lovely tune with some heft behind it. The funny thing is that my impression after listening to all of her albums is that most of her tunes are more of a party feel, like a dance-centered disco jam that stretches out for hours, with a few of these more pensive tunes mixed in. It is interesting, then, that the most popular tunes are the more chilled ones. Like, her top song on the Spotify top ten, "Free Yourself," from this year's album, has that feeling in spades. 20 million streams.
Feels like Ru Paul and Cher are going to come dancing out to it at any moment. My feel of her show is that it will be more like this - a dance party - rather than all deep and quiet. Could be fun!
One Liner: Piano heavy indie rock in the Ben Folds vein
Wikipedia Genre: indie rock, indie folk, country rock Home: Greenville, Texas (but I think he lives in Austin now) Poster Position: 3 (12) Day: Saturday at 3 Both Weekends
Thoughts: I like Kweller. I forget how we happened upon him, but my wife and I found his album Sha Sha many years ago and liked it a lot. Kind of a Ben Folds meets Weezer kind of sound. Here is his top song, "Wasted & Ready," with 3.5 million streams. I'm actually shocked that the playcount is still so low after all these years. That is a 21 year old tune.
Oooh, is that a french horn in there at the start? I love when this one kicks in, that is where the Weezer comparison comes from. Chug-a-lug, baby. Although, the sound on that video is freaking terrible. Recorded in an old can of beans! Weird that is shared from his official YouTube account when it looks and sounds like turd. The version from the studio is much better. If that song wasn't on the soundtrack to the ninth American Pie movie, then they missed an opportunity. That album is from 2002, and its very good. "How It Should B," that tune, "Family Tree," and "Falling" are all very good tunes. "Falling" very much sounds like Ben Folds. Wait, did I see this guy play an ACL taping? I can't come up with how I originally listened to him. Maybe we saw a taping on KLRU? Whatever. I've seen this guy play music before and he sounds good. He got his start playing around with his dad - a doctor - and they would play covers of the Beatles and Hollies. He later formed a band called Radish that released a few albums. I don't know those at all. But his dad happened to be friends with Nils Lofgren (E Street Band, Crazy Horse, producer), and got them some real studio time and then a label bidding war. At 19, he went out on his own to try for a solo career.
His 2004 album rings zero bells for me. One tune has more than 1 million streams, but I don't recognize "On My Way" at all. But, its a nice little strummed tune with good lyrics that are pretty odd. I don't remember buying it, but I've heard the songs on 2006's Ben Kweller a number of times. The top track on there is "Sundress," with 2.7 million streams.
Why do his videos all look like they were shot with the camera from Back to the Future after the terrorists shot it? Seriously. He was signed to a real label, do they not have an iPhone he can use to make better videos? Then he's got a 2009 album called Changing Horses that I had never heard until just now. Its a very country sound, and it actually matches his voice and style really well. I dig it. After that, he released 2012's Go Fly a Kite and then 2021's Circuit Boredom. Big gap in there, likely due to kid raising, right? The top track off of that new disc is "Heart Attack Kid," with 1.9 million streams.
More terrible video effects. But if that is his ranch outside of Austin, he's doing pretty rad for himself! Catchy and more of the Weezer sound. I dig it.
In other awful news, I remember seeing an announcement earlier this year that his 16 year old son was killed in a car crash. Sad stuff. He had been a musician as well, and was scheduled to play a set at SXSW in March 2023, but sadly died. Horrible stuff.
In a weird detour from the norm, his Wikipedia entry actually has an entire section called "Austin City Limits Performances," which is odd.
Kweller played the 2003 Austin City Limits Music Festival at the conclusion of his tour, where he played Sha Sha in its entirety.
He returned to the Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2004 when he performed on the Bank of America stage.
As part of his 2006 tour, Kweller played the Austin City Limits Music Festival, where he was plagued by a severe nosebleed for the entirety of his set. After covering his guitar in blood, he attempted to stop the flow by inserting a travel-size tampon thrown onto the stage by a fan, which expanded painfully during a performance of "This Is War". After attempting to play "Falling" at a piano which he also covered in blood, Kweller was forced to end the set early.
In spring of 2007, Kweller co-headlined with his label-mates Gomez. He continued through the summer with his own string of headlining dates which eventually ended at ACL fest. This time, he did not get a bloody nose; however, commemorative T-shirts were sold at the merchandise booth with fake blood stains that said "ACL 2007: The return of Ben Kweller".
So, I gotta hunt for that video, right?
Welp, there you go. Shoved a damn tampon up his nose and just kept jamming. What a weird thing. Hopefully no big cocaine binges for him this year!
He then also played 2018 for sure, not sure if he played other years prior to that as well, but I know he was added to the poster in 2018.
I'd definitely go catch the set. The more I just let his tunes play, the more I like it. Like an undiscovered Wilco/Weezer/Ben Folds album just waiting out there for the world to enjoy.
One Liner: Deeply beautiful Americana with some rock leanings.
Wikipedia Genre: Americana, folk-pop, folk-rock
Home: Costa Mesa, CA Poster Position: 3 (15) Both Weekends.
Sunday at 12:45.
Thoughts: Funny. I saw this name and was immediately like - she's been here before. Nope! That was Madison Beer and Madison Ryan Ward. This is a different Madison. Her currently top track on Spotify is a Beatles cover, which is really supremely pretty, but also not her own song. I started with this in order to bag on her, and yet I freaking love this stuff. She's excellent.
Sometimes I hear Sheryl Crow. Sometimes I hear Edie Brickell. Sometimes I hear a more modern Carole King. She sounds like someone else too - is she the lead singer of a band? Nope, she just has a great sound that feels instantly comfortable and familiar. Also, she got the shaft with her stage time - her name is in the third section of medium-sized type, and yet she gets the noon on Sunday slot? Brutal.
She is the daughter of a pastor, with four sisters, and she started playing guitar and performing at church at seven years old. Her first album was a worship album (Authenticity, which is no longer available on Spotify), but after high school she joined the cast of American Public Media's Live from Here, the Chris Thile show, and then started releasing new work a few years later. That first album, 2019's Who Are You Now, was nominated for the Grammy for Americana album of the year. Her next album was 2022's Revealer, which won the Grammy for Best Folk Album. She also does some other rad covers - other than the one mentioned above, like Bjork and Radiohead.
Her top streamer is from that 2019 album - Who Are You Now - "Song in My Head" with 12 million streams.
Quiet and lovely little tune. And relatable, as there is always music rattling around in my brain: "There’s a song in my head, Oh a line that never stops playing, I’m not sure how it ends, I can't remember when, I heard what you were saying." And this verse is great too - "I make up half the words,
And wear a t-shirt of a band, I’ve never heard because it hurts, To be on the outside looking in." Good stuff. "Pin it Down" is good too.
The top track from the new album, and significantly more rockin' sound, is "Hospital" with 2.5 million streams.
A little bit Sheryl Crow, a little bit Fiona Apple, and a lot of swagger. I would not enjoy being in that little room. Not sure I understand the main chorus bit - "I am always one man down, and dressed up." Either way, I just think this is groovy and funky and rad.
I'd absolutely go check it out if I was at the Fest at noon on Sunday. I need for the dumb Cowboys to have the Thursday, Sunday, or Monday night game that week so that Jason will be willing to go to the park early. HOLY HELL! It is! They play the Niners at 7:20 that night! Woohoo!
One Liner: Australian R&B singer who left behind an interesting voice for something generic
Wikipedia Genre: Psychedelic rock, reggae, soul, RnB, hip hop, blues and roots, neo soul (that is a hell of a list)
Home: Melbourne Poster Position: 2 (6) Weekend One Only.
Sunday at 4:15.
Thoughts: Weird, they were here in 2017, but it doesn't look like I actually wrote a preview. My only mention was noting them in the schedule and calling it vaguely reggae-ish. Which is kind of funny, listening to their offerings right now. I guess a few of these songs you may be able to say that, but most of this is just straight pop. Maybe their biggest song is what I was listening to, and the cadence of the guitar licks at the beginning made me think of reggae? Could just as easily be Columbian music or something. This is "Jungle," their first single ever and also her biggest song by far, with 224.8 million streams.
Released in 2016 as her first song, and voted into a top countdown in their home of Australia right away. Vaguely annoying vocal sound to me with those affected whiny sounds pushing their voice into abrasive places. I know some people like that pop voice sound, but it bugs me. Their voice in the chorus is a million times better (and in their other songs!). I like some of these older tunes though, they're kinda weird.
Raised in Melbourne, they apparently started playing guitar at 3 years old. They started their career busking, played in a short-lived band called Mindpilot, and then self-released their first stuff before getting "discovered." They also play an absolutely insane list of instruments - "guitar, keyboard, bass, percussion, beatmaking/sampling, trumpet, saxophone, flute, mandolin, oud, harmonica, panpipes" according to Wikipedia. Also, as you can tell from my writing her, Sultana identifies as gender-fluid and uses they/them pronouns.
Two albums - 2018's Flow State and 2021's Terra Firma - with a few other EPs along the way. She also did an MTV unplugged album, which is rad because I had no clue those were still going on. My knee jerk answer to the question of the best MTV unplugged ever is Nirvana, but then I think of the amazing stuff from R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Ten Thousand Maniacs. I looked up a list because those were the ones in my mind - Tesla! I didn't know Stevie Ray Vaughan did one?! Black Crowes! Oh yeah, Clapton - his was amazing too. Never knew Midnight Oil did one. I need to dive into some YouTube videos! Lenny Kravitz! Bjork! Oasis! Oh yeah, Lauryn Hill's was badass too. Sorry, that has nothing to do with Tash.
Their second-most streamed tune is likewise one of their first songs - "Notion," which includes some serious electric guitar licks. But let's go with her most recent single to give you an idea of the new sound. "James Dean" has 4.2 million streams.
Huh. That's too bad. Just sounds like a million other bedroom pop ladies making generically pleasant lovelorn songs. I listened to the rest of the new EP as well, and it just make me want to write this post as quickly as possible so that I can move on to other music. Generic R&B is all I hear here. Although, she does mention listening to The 1975, so maybe she's topical for the festival.
One Liner: Apparently confessional singer/songwriter all in Spanish
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, chilled Spanish singer/songwriter
Home: Chihuahua, Mexico Poster Position: 3 (13) Both Weekends.
Sunday at 2:15.
Thoughts: I hate that I have this reaction, but the second that this started playing I was like - DAMMIT - the music in the background is nice, kind of like a simple singer/songwriter type guy - but Spanish. So, I have no clue what they're going on about. So, now I just want to get this review over with so that I can get to something that I understand.
According to a Rolling Stone headline, he is "the Reluctant Rising Star Making Introspective Songs About the Pains of Growing Up" and he "mixes folk traditions, rock sounds, and lush dream-pop on his impressive album 'Paris Texas'." Another article says that he blends folk sensibilities and modern pop elements. Nothing about this sounds like pop at all. Mostly just a dude strumming his guitar and bopping along. His songs apparently discuss his battles with anxiety and depression. I wouldn't know. He does have a buttload of streams tho!
Here is "Vamonos a Marte," with 310.7 million streams.
Yep! There it is! Perfectly acceptable, very low key tune in the background, and some lyrics over the top! I hope everyone who speaks Spanish loves every second of it!
One Liner: Grunge/Alternative rock badassery with UNAPOLAGETIC BRAVADO AND CATHARTIC LYRICISM
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, but classic rock, post-punk rock, grunge, alternative
Home: Nashville
Poster Position: 4 (22) Weekend One Only. Sunday at 3:15.
Thoughts: I'm going to be honest, pleasantly surprised here. I saw the name of this band and felt the will to finish this poster leaving my body. I figured this was going to be another soft-singing lady trying to copy Lana Del Rey. Instead, its feedback laced rock and roll radness.
The Helianthemum is the scientific name for the rock rose, sunrose, rushrose, or frostweed. Tears of the Kingdom ass plant names. Obviously, because I'm talking about that random crap, these dudes don't have a Wikipedia page. Also, there is an Aussie band of the same name but I don't think this is them. Most of the time, when I go read a review of bands that I am listening to for this project, I read the dumbest crap possible and learn nothing. Such as this information, about their 2023 album Self-immolation: "a defiant body of work that pushes up against the bands established thematic and sonic boundaries. Cathartic lyricism captures elements of the bands unapologetic bravado, offering rumination on the human existence." Did AI write that? So dumb.
Despite all of that, the music itself freaking jams. I am absolutely here for it. Band was apparently formed in 2020 by some dudes from LA, but most of the articles I can find about the band are actually about the Australian band that broke up. Their Spotify bio just says they came from different walks of life and converged in L.A., and then another crappy bit of copy: "Gauzy melodies and hard hitting riffs infused with lyrics that could entice a revolution." Vomit.
Two albums - 2021's SUNROSE and 2023's Self-immolation. Very low streams on most of this, but they apparently nailed two of the songs on that first disc. "Hollywood Harlot" has 109k streams. Sadly, no studio version on YouTube, so here comes the live version in all of it's raw, hard-to-hear beauty.
I swear it is better on the studio version where it is not being filmed by an iPhone inside of an aquarium stuffed under a mattress. But, you get the idea - straight-on rock and roll THAT COULD START A REVOLUTION, MAN! The second-most streamed song is "Power," also from that first album, and it has a real video, so here you go. 90k streams.
The bassist looks like one of the Stranger Things guys. That one kicks in like a Rage song, until the vocals come in and then it gets a little more sunny and nice for a bit, like Silverchair. Remember Silverchair? That Frogstomp album ruled. But what I really think of when I hear that song is how much I want to RUMINATE ON THE HUMAN EXISTENCE! And that rap 3/4 of the way through again brings back the Rage feels. I really like it.
And just to see what the new album is bringing to the table, here is the first song, "Burn." 4k streams so far.
A little more NIN-playing disco drums glam. Remember those weird songs where Nine Inch Nails sounded like this industrial glam stuff. That was weird. But this is fun. I've been int he damn wilderness on this poster for so many days - Spanish artists, pop stars, Mumford copy-cats - that it is nice to get to something that just unabashedly rocks out.
One Liner: Classic honky tonk country from a local fella
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, but country
Home: Austin
Poster Position: 5 (25) Weekend One Only. Sunday at Noon.
Thoughts: His website claims that he is a True-Blue Honky Tonk experience and is the "byproduct of the hard livin' and touring across America the past 7-8 years." I wonder when you lose the "g" on a word when you are attempting to appear authentic about your country-ness. Like, why not saying "livin' and tourin'" there? Are two dropped "g"s too much to appear authentic? Is there a limit in the Redneck Style Guide? I wish I knew.
Every picture I see of him looks like he is on the stage at the White Horse, so I am going to surmise that he is from Austin. he says his mom was a vocalist ion the Alabama Muscle Shoals scene, and that his dad was part of the "Country Dance hall super group The Western Express." In college, he started getting some good opening gigs from things like Whiskey Myers and Cody Johnson. He also claims a lot of authenticity, saying: "If you have an easy way in, it was bought. There are a ton of “bands” that fake it. They are a part of the machine, and the real road dogs and musicians that have put in the windshield hours, and eaten the shit sandwich can sniff them out like a hound smells a sour pig." Very colorful. And yes, I just read that he is actually based in Austin.
Also random, he has been featured on the Joe Rogan Experience multiple times. Which immediately makes me think he must be a nutter. But it sounds like it was more innocent, that Rogan and his crew of suckups saw a show at the White Horse during the ice storm, and Rogan dug what he saw.
One album - 2022's Piss-Hot Freightlining Country Music - which is quite a title. Top track on there is "Roller Coaster" with 318k streams.
Super deep voice, and a catchy tune that would be a pretty good dance-along at the White Horse right about now. I get it. Not much variance though - each song is pure honky tonkin' country. Nothing wrong with that. If you're into it, then this hits the sweet spot every time.
One Liner: Lyrically solid country bordering on rock with all the tattoos.
Wikipedia Genre: Country
Home: Floyd, Virginia
Poster Position: 3 (9) Both Weekends. Sunday at 3:15.
Thoughts: So, you look at the pictures that immediately come up on Spotify, and you figure this has to be pop or rap or something, because this lady has approximately 7,003 visible tattoos and a pretty face. But somehow, instead, this is country music. I hear Maren Morris at times (you know that song she sings about driving around in a Montero with a busted radio?), and Miranda Lambert at other times. But I like what I hear there.
Morgan Dealie Wade (I like that middle name, it is weird) is from Floyd, Virginia. She started writing songs as a freshman in college, and originally released an album credited to the Stepbrothers with musicians she recruited through Craigslist. Later, she got to perform with Jason Isbell on a bill at something called FloydFest, and her album made its way to Sadler Vaden, the guitarist in the 400 Unit, who took an interest. Vaden worked with her to put together a real debut album, which spawned a hit and got some critical love.
That hit is one that I've heard on local radio - not sure if that would be Sun or KUTX, but one of those two. It's a good tune. "Wilder Days" from 2021's Reckless, with 85.5 million streams.
Can definitely associate with the whole "hating the smell of cigarette smoke, but back in the day used to smoke while I drank" - those were dumb days. I am so very glad that it is so rare for folks to smoke anymore. Dumb habit. Really good song. She does a good cover of "Suspicious Minds" too. New album just came out like 5 days ago, and yet the lead single has already fired up 3.2 million streams. "Psychopath."
Again, I like it. Less poppy and radio-ready, but a good sound and lyrics that suck me in to hear what she is going on about. I can see how there could be a fun string here with Ellis Bullard and then Randall King and then Morgan Wade for all the country lovers out there. They're screwed after that, but at least they can have some fun before Death Grips comes out and ruins their day.
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, going to go with rock and indie rock Home: Detroit Poster Position: 3 (13) Both Weekends.
Sunday at 12:45 (that set time is officially BUTT)
Thoughts: This fella was supposed to be here last year, but had to bail for a pretty awful reason. He tweeted about it - but he broke his leg and his wife got run over by a truck, apparently in unrelated but concurrent incidents, in mid-October. She spent multiple days in the hospital and it sounded kinda awful. So, he had to cancel his entire tour and just get things sorted. But luckily for me, I already wrote up a whole review!
Love the band name. Even if I've never been to Michigan, and actually had lunch yesterday with a young woman who had absolutely zero things good to say about her last two years living in the State, I dig the punny combo that allows me to consider the wonderful word "gander." Everyone should use the word "gander" more often. BUT, when you search that term in Wikipedia, it just says that this is the generic term for a person who is from Michigan. Which is also funny. Imagine if they called us Texaganders. Freaking sweet.
The guy's name is really Jason Singer, and he's the lead singer and writer and frontman and all that. I read a background of him that was cute, talking about growing up and just becoming fascinated with music. One good quote: "I would rent CDs from the library and rip them to my computer, sorry everyone." I did that with record albums back in the day. I'd go borrow some musty ass Beatles album, bring it home to the Panasonic 4-in-one, and make a cassette tape of some "Twist and Shout" era tunes. Good times. I also like Jason's take on streaming - that for a smaller musician like him it is a big positive, because his music is out there in front of so many people and so he can sell merch and shows that he likely couldn't do if he was just trying to push CDs.
He's from - shockingly! - Michigan. Kalamazoo. But he moved to Detroit somewhat recently now that the music thing is taking off. The group started as a solo thing, but now he has an actual band. Guitar is definitely the centerpiece of the tunes. They got to play Lollapalooza last summer, and it sounds like the show was a smash.
He has no actual albums, just a pile of singles and several EPs that have come along over time. His first single was in 2016, called "Nineties," and it kind of blew up for the guy. 5.5 million streams now.
Kind of a Bright Eyes feel in there, or maybe just solo Conor Oberst. Nothing totally ground-breaking there, but good lyrics, driving beat, cool little horns. I like it. He cleans up the sound a little bit since then. His most streamed one is a 2019 single called "Misery." 13.3 million streams.
Dude has some serious hair-styling. The comp that keeps popping into my mind is Catfish and the Bottlemen. But it also sounds kind of like Portugal. The Man as well. That is a really solid song. Poppy and catchy, but also solidly in the rock mode. I could absolutely go jam this in a big crowd with all my sweater stranger friends. And the fireworks in that video are kinda badass too.
Another sweet gift from the world is that he also joined up with fellow poster-buddies Manchester Orchestra to create a new single - "In My Head." Maybe they'll take the stage together and shred. [that was obviously written last year, but this is still a really good song]. 4.1 million streams.
Yeah, buddy. Get me some more of that tasty business. I'm pumped to see M.O. again, and would definitely go take a gander at the 'gander. Too bad his set time is so terrible. Boooooo!
Her original releases were on her own, but since 2017 she has been working with Bolis Pupul, a human being whose name I apparently cannot spell on the first try. He is the producer, and is apparently also from Belgium. He apparently draws very realistic penises, and invited folks to DM him for an example. Nope. In one interview, he speaks out against racist atrocities that Leopold II did in the Congo during colonialization. I guess old Leo was a Belgian bad guy, I've never heard of him. Pupul is also the child of someone else I have never heard of, a "well-known Belgian musician, comedian and cartoonist known as Kamagurka."
"HAHA" is freaking awesome. So weird, and yet I can't help but grin as I listen to it. Some of the lyrics are confusing, in that they are in French (or apparently also Creole?) and so I don't know what is happening. "Blenda" is clever - "go back to your country where you belong, Siri can you tell me where I belong?" Like, an imminently danceable song, and yet it is about being xenophobic. Not a normal thing, but entertaining. The top track is from their 2022 album Topical Dancer, called "Ceci n'est pas un cliche," with 3.4 million streams.
Translated, the title means this is not a cliche, and then the lyrics of the song recount every cliche in pop music - "you're cold as ice" or "hey Mr. DJ" or "You're my baby tonight, I wanna hold you real tight." These dudes are clever for sure. The music itself is a generic EDM beat that could have been an LCD Soundsystem jab, which maybe is the point, the same way that the lyrics are. In fact, I hear LCD on several of these songs. I'mma give you "HAHA" as well, just because I like it so much. 2.4 million streams.
Freaking weird, man! But also, catchy despite being a really basic-seeming beat! Probabloy not going to go see this, but I could see it being a jam in the Tito's Tent!
One Liner: Electronic house music just like the last batch you heard
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, but house
Home: Dunno, just going to guess L.A.
Poster Position: 3 (8) Both Weekends. Sunday at 6:15.
Thoughts: One of those where on the first song, I was like, "oh sure, I know this! Have they been here before?" Well, it's because their top track is actually a Diplo track that they just helped with somehow. I never really understand how multiple electro artists collaborate on a track - does one of them turn the left knob that does nothing while the other one turns the right knob that does nothing? The fourth most popular track on their Spotify is also familiar, because it features two different electro people from last year - Diplo and Purple Disco Machine. Are we just getting buddies to play the Fest every year? It is not until their 6th most popular track that you actually get a full-on Sidepiece tune that isn't just a remix or feature.
That solo track is not great - I'm not a big EDM guy, so no real shock there, but I much prefer the stuff with Diplo guiding the ship to "What You Need," which is soooo generic. 550k streams.
There you go!
Just so you can witness that DIPLO top track as well, with 258.6 million streams.
The weird talking over the top in that video is not in the real song. Just FYI. There was a great Tweet the other day saying: "dance music in the 90’s was incredible, just a woman putting her entire soul into a beat that had every cell in your body vibrating… then here comes some jacked baldhead dude with a deep voice rapping the stupidest shit you’ve ever heard. You’d be in a trance at the skating ring having this out of body experience and then “(comically deep voice) it’s night time and my love is hot, I dance, you dance, we dance a lot”" Hilarious. I almost wish that these songs at least had that to lean on. Instead, they are just uninteresting beats and singers. I need the bad rapping.
If you Wikipedia "sidepiece," it takes you directly to the article about "Mistress (lover)" which is kind of funny. The top result on google when searching for "Sidepiece band" gets you a Nashville band that is apparently "a collection of the music industry's top side women on a mission to shatter the boys-only-backing-band statistic." I didn't know that was a statistic. But the website "youasidepiece.com" brings us to this group and finally some background on them. Dylan Ragland and Ricky Mears are the guys behind the name, and they have apparently been nominated for a Grammy - Best Dance Record in 2021 (actually won by Kaytranada) - but they also still make music on their own, Ragland as Party Favor and Mears as NITTI. The linked up via DMs in 2019 and later formed this group. The more I search for info about them, the more I notice that there are a ton of bands that share this name. Even one based in Austin! So, I don't know where they are from, but I don't honestly care, either.
One Liner: Local R&B sounds that are a little too whispery for my taste
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, but R&B, hip hop, neo-soul
Home: Austin!
Poster Position: 4 (22) Weekend One Only. Sunday at 1:30.
Thoughts: Local gal who was apparently a dancer before shifting over into the music world. She cut her first track in Atlanta, but then came back home to Austin to make music at a studio called Orb. It is out in Oak Hill, in between the two new HEBs at 1826 and Nutty Brown. It is wild to me how much that area has filled in - all the random ranchland that was there as a kid is now just stacked up with homes and shopping. An article I read about Grace says that she's been working with local folks as backup on their tracks BLK ODYSSY and Magna Carda), and then had the honor of opening for Diana Ross at the Circuit of the Americas. Pretty sweet. Most of the little articles I can find about her just parrot those same tidbits of info.
No albums. 7 singles and one EP, starting up in 2020. So, it doesn't take long to run through the whole catalog. it is fine. Sometimes a little too whispery, and I'd rather hear a singer belt any day than hears them get all whispy and whiny. But her top track doesn't devolve into that as much, and while I am assuming those are just samples that sound like Timbaland, it got me excited for a second. "Digits." 625k streams.
2022 single. Did you hear that little "ahhh" that sounds like Timbaland? Dang! Straight R&B sounds right there, and her voice is generally strong. The whole vibe there is good. Those earrings are distractingly large. Freaking hula hoops, man. Let's also dive into her most recent single to get a feel for her current direction. "Miss Majesty" was released in June 2023 and is more R&B action. 24k streams.
Just a little too whispery for me - you know how Billie Eilish does that crap? I find it offputting when I know the girl can really sing. Yeah, I'm not going to this show, but she's talented and I'm glad an Austin gal is getting on the ACL stage.
One Liner: Excellent indie rock that has drawn me in for a long time
Wikipedia Genre: Her Wikipedia doesn't list a genre, but I'll call it indie rock
Home: Nashville
Poster Position: 5 (27) Weekend One Only. Sunday at Noon. (that is a butt slot for her)
Thoughts: This is good stuff. There must be something inside of me that really likes when someone sounds like Carole King, even though I don't especially love Carole King herself. Weird. According to Wikipedia, she grew up in Spicewood (suburb of Austin, where my older brother works these days), where she was homeschooled and listened primarily to worship music. She went off to Nashville to attend the Christian school Belmont University, and apparently is based there now. I compare her to Carole King, but this is more of an indie rock thing that is very much centered on guitar and vocals.
One album - 2021's Cool Dry Place - and it sounds really great. Edges into rock and roll at times, but frequently keeps the gear shifted down into a more chilled singer/songwriter zone. Not a ton of streams on Spotify, but a few tunes crack a million. "Juniper" has just over 6 million.
The first touchstone I smell there is Courtney Barnett - clever lyrics delivered over winding little guitar tunes. I've only had green chartreuse, maybe I need to try the yellow that she is using in that cocktail. Maybe it will be less harsh. The difference between weeds and herbs, are flowers." Lovely.
She cites her worship music immersion as a kid with her ability to create great melodies that are catchy and easy to learn. You know, modern evangelical music is supposed to be the kind of stuff where a crowd can pick up the tune and sing along, without sheet music, by the second chorus. And that is kind of what you are getting here, at least from the catchy tunefulness of this. Another thing I hear in here is Big Thief - the title track to her album is the one giving me that feel right now.
She just released a new tune two days ago called "Cubic Zirconia" that I dig as well. 8k streams in two days doesn't seem so bad for someone I've never heard of until three hours ago.
Crazy to think of how it works now for an artist trying to make stuff happen. She released a full on music video the same day as her new single. She probably had to send a bunch of tweets too - yep, just checked and she had a bunch of tweets about the new single, and then re-posted everyone else who tweeted about it. Seems exhausting. I'm sure it is. I am not trying to bag on her at all for hustling out there, I just find it fascinating to consider what it takes to "make it" these days. Even a great song doesn't get you squat without getting it out there.
I really like it! I sort of doubt that I will be on hand at the park for a noon show on Sunday, but this is really nice music that I will keep around.
One Liner: Model and actress making forgettable bedroom pop
Wikipedia Genre: Her Wikipedia doesn't list a genre, it just says model - actress - singer, but I'll say indie pop, bedroom pop
Home: London
Poster Position: 3 (9) Both Weekends. Sunday at 3:15
Thoughts: I can't hear the name Suki (or Sookie) without immediately thinking of Gilmore Girls and the first time I recall seeing Melissa McCarthy. My wife loved that show a million years ago, and more recently, middle kid has watched through the entire thing at least once. Very clever show.
This is not Melissa McCarthy though. This is an English gal (partner of Batman/Sexy Vampire/Cedric Diggory Robert Pattinson) who got her start in modeling (like, a legit modeling career with multiple covers of Vogue and major brand runway walking), then an acting career that included one of the Divergent movies and more recently the miniseries Daisy Jones and the Six. We gave up on that miniseries, but the wife and I both really enjoyed the book!
But in the midst of all of those things keeping her busy, along comes a few loosie singles that popped. The first big one was "Good Looking," released in 2017, which apparently became a viral hit in 2022. It was, of course, because of TikTok. She said that she was working on getting her real record out, when this six year old song popped back up. Apparently, her management had asked if they could delete all the old crap from before the album so that the album was the music available, and she thankfully disagreed.
Surprisingly small catalog - I was bopping along and then realized that the song was actually Blondshell - I apparently cruised through four songs by other artists without noticing that I was no longer listening to Suki, which bodes poorly for her distinctiveness. Just one album - 2022's I Can't Let Go - and then some singles and an EP. Here is that viral track - "Good Looking," with 199.6 million streams.
She admitted that the recording was "dodgy" and done in her apartment. You can definitely tell. Lotta kissing in that video, and then WTF is up with the blood? Damn. That was disturbing. A comment claims that it was real - she accidentally stuck her hand in the fan as she was dancing around on the bed. Usually, a video makes me like a song more, but that video did the exact opposite. Nope.
None of her other songs come anywhere close to the success of that track, but "Moves," from the new album, tries the hardest with 21.4 million streams.
It is an odd thing - after powering through her catalog, my overall feel was that I liked the tunes. But now, really paying attention to these two tracks, I find them annoying. They feel overwrought and heavy-handed, trying to shove an emotional response at me or something. I wasn't going to chose her anyway, The Walkmen and Sunrose are fun rock and roll, Morgan Wade is awesome and feels like a star on the rise, but I wouldn't go watch this one.
Poster Position: ? Weekend Two Only. Saturday at 2:30. Sunday at 4:15
Thoughts: Their band name actually has an umlaut in it, which I always approve of. You pronounce the name like "fyooch" - like a shortened version of the word future if you were one of the girls from Mean Girls. "stop trying to make fyutch happen!"
These are classic kiddie limits tunes - the top one is called "Empathy" and is a lesson on what empathy is and why we should all practice it. I guess this is rap, although the beat is really sparse and sounds like it is being played live.
Real name is Harold Michael Simmons II, and he was born in Gary, Indiana. At age 7, he won the city-wide speech contest and that kicked off a life of speaking in public. He's given a TED talk. He graduated from Belmont University. Before aiming at the kiddie market, he was in a rap group called The Legendary Biscuits and Gravy, which was apparently good enough to open for Kanye, GZA, and Nappy Roots in Nashville. He then released music as Future the Artist (which seems like a bad idea when Future already exists in the rap space, although he has been quoted as believing that he used the moniker first.). He also went by Mr. Flattop - on the album by that name he samples the hell out of "Listomania" on the track called "Ballin'." Kind of fun. Probably not a cleared sample. His top single overall is called "Rainin' Money," and interpolates "It's Raining Men" - 158k streams, but I doubt he'll be playing that one in the Kiddie Limits area.
Poster Position: 5 (28) - the literal last artist on the poster. Weekend Two Only. Sunday at noon
Thoughts: "The Moriah Sisters are recording artists from Austin TX that have been ministering through song for almost 30 years. They have been featured on Fox 7 News for their Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday segments for the past 5 years and on May 19, 2022, they received the Music Proclamation presented by Mayor Steve Adler and the Austin City Council. The Moriah Sisters are also apart of The Iconic Gospel Brunch at the Historical Stubbs BBQ in downtown Austin TX. They have recently been added to this years ACL Local Artist List. We love sharing Gods message through Our Ministry and have been blessed to have traveled all over Texas spreading the Good News."
Strong voices - good harmonies - zero listed playcount on Spotify. "Have You Tried Jesus" is missing a question mark, but not a lot of love for the man upstairs.
One Liner: Classic country sound with a little brassy Outlaw to her.
Wikipedia Genre: Country, Outlaw country, Americana
Home: Nashville via L.A. via Tacoma, Washington
Poster Position: not on the poster, late addition Weekend Two Only. Friday at 1:40
Thoughts: Her top songs are really solid - but I have been busy the last two days and let her stuff play for too long. Finally, I got down into her insanely jenky debut single called "Marijuana Man" that sounds like some hella crappy Tanya Tucker copycat singing on a streetcorner in Baton Rouge in the mid-90s. Do not go that far back in her catalog.
Because before that, she's got a really good, classic country sound that had me feeling okay about just letting her roll for a while. She was raised outside of Tacoma, Washington, on a rural island by two musician parents who weaned her on Tom Petty, Hank Williams, and the country stars of the 90's. She moved to L.A. at age 17 and scored her first record deal. She released her first album out there. Apparently, several songs appeared in shows and movies, including one being on a soundtrack for something called Wicker Park. More recently, she relocated to Nashville and released her second disc. Still just those two discs - 2017's Felony Blues and 2020's Neon Cross, and the hits are definitely from the second one.
"Neon Cross" has 1.9 million streams.
Reminds me a little of Nikki Lane and her semi-rock, semi- Americana, lots of sass approach. She's got a good sound and that is a fun chorus mixing country and Christian imagery. Apparently, this disc was recorded with Shooter Jennings, which is pretty helpful to increasing your Outlaw bonafides. Her other track with over a million streams is also from the new disc, and is a more traditional country number. "Hurt So Bad" with 1.8 million streams.
Never hurts to have model good looks and a strong voice! Her voice is cool too, in that she has some rasp in it, but then can belt cleanly too. Good stuff. I doubt I'll be around on Weekend Two Friday at 1:40, but nothing wrong with her classic country sound.
One Liner: I don't know man, 3 songs that are definitely not my thing
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia - assuming I have the right one, she is alt-R&B?
Home: Austin
Poster Position: Not on the poster Weekend Two Only. Sunday at 1
Thoughts: Sisi is a place in Crete, Greece. Also, the nickname of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the wife of Franz Joseph I. It is also the name of a Dutch fruit-flavored beverage. For our purposes, this is a singer with only three songs available on Spotify, none of which have been noticed my many folks. My impression after a few listens to her most streamed tune - "Good Time" (with 5,823 streams) is a poor-man's Maggie Rogers.
Well, I assume that to be true, because that gal is from Austin and so it would make sense for her to be the one on the poster. But there is also a UK artist who goes by Sisi who is apparently "a true superstar in the making" who is receiving regular BBC radio support. Assuming this is not that "incredibly versatile artist covering everything from Afropop to Garage." Also, there is a Chinese-American alternative R&B singer-songwriter who moved to L.A. to pursue her sound, which is described as: "inspired by the vocal fluidity and raw introspection of alternative R&B artists like Drake, Frank Ocean, and The Weeknd while invoking images of femme fatale / female power in the vein of Rihanna & Beyonce." Criminy, wait, there is another who is an Italian who sang on the X Factor TV show. So, this name sucks for an artist, just FYI. No good articles I can find about her online - they are almost all about the Brit.
Spotify bio says that she is Venezuelan-American, and that her debut single "taps into the generational goal of latina kids to want to find any way possible to make sure they can take care of their parents." Her bio also claims that a full-length album is coming fall 2022. Which doesn't seem to have worked out. Here is that tune, called "Rich or Dead." 2,215 streams.
Don't care for it. Feels like the drum beat is trying to steal some 80's song that I can't quite place. Not much else to say about her since no one is writing about her out there. I hope that she can use the $0.03 she made from her streaming numbers to take care of her folks.
