ACL 2016: Sunday Thoughts

Sunday is going to be so fantastic.  For those of you who have followed my musings, you know that a bunch of the bands that are on tap for today are right up my alley, people I've either liked for years or new talents who stuck with me during this listening process.  Also, in a very exciting development, the wife is going to join me for Sunday, meaning that I'll finally get to share one of my favorite things with my favorite person.  Which is highly cool. 

Although, unlike my advice about leaving the chairs and other stuff at home, I'm going to set her up with a blanket and chair and big ass Yeti cup and make her a comfortable little spot right in between the two killer stages for the day.  If you notice down below, from the 2pm show on, the best stuff is just going to be flipping back and forth between the HomeAway and the Samsung, and so I'm going to post her up right between those two stages for some good music times.

Sunday playlist.  "Look at what you made me do!  Yo pass the hotsauce."



One other note, if you were psyched to see the Metallica kid's band at Austin Kiddie Limits Sunday afternoon, they have apparently dropped out of the 'fest.  Gina Chavez is now listed in their slot.

11:30

Miller Lite	Shane Smith & the Saints: Damn fine Texas-centric country
Zilker	The Shelters: Garage-y classic rock sound that loves Tom Petty
HomeAway	July Talk: Leonard Cohen (not really) meets a lady friend for rock and freaking roll

I mean, honestly, screw you, ACL.  All three of these bands, and especially The Shelters, are good stuff.  And putting them before noon on Sunday is some B.S.  A man is entitled to sleep in a little on day three of the Festival and go get some wings and beers while watching football before the good music kicks in.  Why isn’t this portion of the Festival all gospel all the time?  Rude.  God is watching and knows that your heart is hardened.

12:15

Honda	Lizzo: Bad ass female rapper
Tito’s Tent	Jai Malano: Rootsy bluesy rock gal with a classic sound
BMI	Luke Winslow-King: New Orleans jazzy singer/songwriter
Samsung	Brett Dennen: Gentle ginger with some chilled tuneage

More stuff that I'd like to see more of - Lizzo is crazy fun, you should go see her if these four are the choice and you are there this early.  But all three of these other guys are fine stuff that I'd go to see immediately if they were on Friday at 5:00.

1:00

Miller	Domo Genesis: Cool beats and guest verses with guy from Odd Future.
Cirrus	Wild Belle: Indie pop with enough reggae tinge to be cool
Tito's	Avery*Sunshine (1:15): Smooth soul/R&B action
HomeAway	Wild Child: Local band with an unhinged, fun sound and harmonies

In all honesty, none of these four are going to get me to the festival early.  We'll see how the day shakes out, if I can motivate to get there early to see The Shelters and Lizzo, and if I do, I'll probably chose Domo Genesis for this slot.  Maybe Wild Child, but meh...

2:00

Honda	Chronixx & Zincfence Redemption: Classic reggae sound from a new school guy
Tito's	Marlon Williams (2:15): New Zealand's answer to throwback-style country
BMI	Basia Bulat: Florence & the Machine-lite
Samsung	Kacey Musgraves: Bad ass country chick with legit lyrics and cool sound

This is where POWER SUNDAY begins, with Kacey Musgraves.  I may be more excited about this show than anything other than Radiohead, and its just plain weird to me that her slot is at 2 in the afternoon.  But whatever.  Let's do this thing.  BTW, if you are a weirdo communist nutjob who hates Musgraves for some weird reason, all three of the other people in this slot are actually really enjoyable.

3:00

Miller	Pete Yorn: Pop rock mastermind
Cirrus	NF: Confessional lyrics from an Eminem-esque Christian rapper
Tito's	Break Science (3:30): Bass heavy beats electronic with two good assists from Redman
HomeAway	Margo Price: Awesome throwback country gal on Jack White's label

Man, while I'm legitimately bummed about missing out on Pete Yorn, I am excited to see Margo Price.  She is legit.  Honestly, this is another foursome where all four of these choices are solid.  NF game me lots of feels and sounds great, Break Science is fun dance music.  You can't go wrong in this slot, well, unless you don't go see Price.

4:00

Honda	Local Natives: Lovely little indie rock
Tito's	James Hunter Six (4:45): Classic soul from a time machine
BMI	Quaker City Night Hawks: Bluesy rock goodness
Samsung	Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats: Soul revival masterminds who will hurt you with their live show

Another four pack that you can't go wrong with.  But you just have to go see Nathaniel Rateliff.  His live show is amazing and so very much fun.  I'm a little bit worried about the size of the crowd for this one, but I'm telling you, he is legit.  Sad to miss out on the Quaker City Night Hawks, as they were one of the new bands I found through this process that I liked the most.  If you can't see Nate, go check them out.

5:00

Miller	Oh Wonder: Lovely but kind of boring little indie duets
Cirrus	Bob Moses: Chilly electro that sure seems out of place at ACL
HomeAway	St. Paul & the Broken Bones: That other long ass band name doing kick ass soul revival rock

Finally, and easy choice.  St. Paul's old tunes are good stuff, but the most recent album is excellent.  I expect another high energy show like Nathaniel Rateliff.  Excited about this show.

6:00

Honda	Miike Snow: Swedish electro pop indie with one too many vowels
Tito's	Gregory Porter: Jazz and soul delivered with a honey smooth voice
BMI	Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds: Soul rock boogie
Samsung	Chris Stapleton: Bad ass country star

Interestingly enough, here is one spot where my buddy has already identified that we will be splitting up for a show.  I'm all in on Stapleton, can't wait to see him play live.  His album has soundtracked a large portion of my last year.  But my friend Jason wants to go see Sister Sparrow (who are a good choice if they weren't up against Stapleton) because his brother-in-law's band is somehow connected to them.  Vaya con Dios, mi amigo.  I'll be mumbling the lyrics to "Whiskey and You" while I try not to get choked up.

7:00

Miller	Young the Giant: (apparently forgot to do a One Liner, which makes sense since I kind of forget who these guys are each time I hear their name)
Cirrus	Porter Robinson & Madeon: More electronic stuff straddling the line between EDM and indie
HomeAway	Haim: Sister party rock with some pop flourish

Easy decision here too, as Haim is great.  I was kind of hoping that their new album would be out by now, but nothing new available on Spotify.  Should still be a fun show, their debut album is fun stuff. Funny thing, I literally forgot to write a One Liner for Young the Giant, which made me chuckle, since I literally can't remember which band they are.  I know the radio plays some of their tunes, and I listened to all of their albums a few weeks ago, but I guess they just skim right over my brain or something.

8:00

Honda	LCD Soundsystem: Dance indie electronic that is more popular than I can understand
Samsung	Mumford & Sons: Rootsy Folk Revivalist Kings! (if you ignore that 2015 album)

Come on, Marcus.  Stick to the first two albums, my friend.  Nobody wants to hear the milquetoast rock stylings of the new disc.  I'm a little bit disappointed not to get to do LCD, jst to see what all the hype is about in person, but I'm not going to miss seeing Mumford.

KUTX preview for ACL 2016

The two ladies who book the 'fest made a cool little hour long radio program the other day to pimp some of the tunes we'll hear this weekend.  Well, not all of this will happen this weekend because Anderson.Paak is w/e 2 only, but anyway, check it out.

http://kutx.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/My-KUTX-ACL-Fest-2016-Preview.mp3

Surviving ACL 2016: The Beer Hall

Man, I loved me some Reverend Horton Heat when I was in high school.  PARTY!  GET NAKED! BUY US BEER!

So, in case you are new to this whole ACL thing, they have two ways to get beer into your system. First, you have the jenky yellow BAR kiosks all over the grounds.  Literally, there will be like 20 of these spread all over the place.  At that BAR kiosk, you can likely get Butt Light, Butt Heavy, Coors Original, Heineken, Imperial, and Fireman's Four (or some derivation of those choices.  These will be tallboy cans, and likely $8 unless the price has been jacked since last time.  This is your easy access beer choice.

On the other hand, there is the Barton Springs Beer Hall, which will have some big screen TVs and a long bar full of taps of better beer choices.  I will not go so deeply into my rant from last year, about what a poor job they do of getting local options.  But I have to at least mention it - if it wasn't for Real Ale (which isn't based in Austin), you'd have like TWO FREAKING LOCAL OPTIONS HERE!  These choices are better than the BAR tents, but still!  Also, of note, unless they change things from last year, you are not getting a fresh pour of these beers.  The folks working this tent will have two or three cups of each beer sitting there ready for you to buy, so that you don't have to wait around for a pour.  However, if it is a million degrees, then your beer is not going to be cold.  I've never gotten a truly hot one either, but just know what you are getting.

On to the action!  According to the ACL website, these are going to be your choices (along with commentary from me):

• Ace Pineapple Cider: Haven't tried it.  Sounds gross.
• Adelbert’s Hibiscus Saison.  (5.6%).  AUSTIN FREAKING TEXAS!  However, this sounds gross to me.  I'm just not a fan of the farmhouse style of sweet/sour, so this one sounds grody.  Which is too bad, because Adelbert's makes some tasty stuff (Scratchin' Hippo being my personal fave).
• Alaskan White. (5.3%).  Alaska.  The White is a wheat beer, and I find the weird spices in it to be offputting.  A little cloying.  
• Deep Ellum IPA.  (7%).  Dallas.  This one is a good beer, I've had it a number of times.  However, why are we bringing in a Dallas IPA?  We have a BUNCH of legit IPAs all over Austin.  I'm sure this is all because of the idiotic Texas Legislature bending over backwards to let the beer distributors keep their monopoly over how beer gets sold to the consumer, but it is super lame that no Austin Beerworks or 512 or other great local guys are represented at the 'fest.
• Founders All Day IPA. (4.7%). Michigan.  I don't recall having this one, but know that this is a session ale, so you're getting weak alcoholic content here.  Probably a fine beer, but Beer Advocate gives it an 87 (compared to a 90 for Deep Ellum's IPA).
• Harpoon UFO White: (4.8%)  Massachusetts.  Another unfiltered wheat beer with spices that are not my thing.  I can see the allure of a light, sweet beer like this for the festival, but its just too much for me.  I dig Harpoon - their Octoberfest is awesome - but this one is a no for me.
• Lagunitas IPA (6.2%).  California.  I know people who love all things Lagunitas.  I'm not one of them. Meh.  After the first sip I wished I had gone with another choice.
• Oasis Metamodern.  (4.5%).  AUSTIN FREAKING TEXAS!  This is a good beer.  I like their bitter better (London Homesick), but this one is a tasty brew.  Again, though, note that you are getting weak ass booze content here.
• Original Sin Hard Cider.  No clue.  Cider.
• Odell Drumroll American Pale Ale. (5.3%). Fort Collins, CO. I like me some O'Dell beer.  I don't think I've tried this one, but I have yet to try an O'Dell product that wasn't mighty tasty.  The 90 Shilling amber is the flagship, but I bet this one is tasty as well.
• Sierra Nevada Otra Vez.  (4.5%).  California.  Gross, as I am a big weirdo about the sour beer and gose movement.  If you dig those funky beers, then by all means, go get you some four percent alcohol goodness here.
• Stone Arrogant Bastard. (7.2%).  California.   Well, this is weird.  ACL website lists this as "Stone Arrogant Bastard," but Stone Brewing does not appear to make Arrogant Bastard.  According to BeerAdvocate, this is brewed by Arrogant Brewing, which is also in California.  Anyway, nerdy semantics aside, know that this is an American Strong Ale that is pretty good.
• Sweet Water 420 Pale Ale.  (5.4%)  Georgia.  Sweet, bra, 420.  Guys, I bet this chill brew totally has all of the weeds in it, maaaaaaan.  You should drink it and get like mega super high, bro.  Never had this one, and don't plan to.
• Real Ale Devil’s Backbone (8%), Real Ale Fireman’s #4 (5.1%), Real Ale Hans Pils (5%), Real Ale Oktoberfest (5.7%).  AUSTIN-area (although not even really in Austin).  Hooray!  More local-ish beer added to the list!  I like the Oktoberfest the best out of this list.  I like Oktoberfest beers in general, and Real Ale does a fine malty marzen-style one.  If making them wasn't such a hassle, I'd make this style all year long.  Hans Pils would be my second favorite, but all three of the non-Oktoberfest beers are pretty strong hop beers, which is too bad, because it would be nice to get more variety. Devil's is the strongest for sure, but I always dislike it by the end of a pint because of the heavy hops shredding my tongue.     

2016 WINNERS:

Actual best beer Category:  Honestly, this list is pretty mediocre overall.  I guess I'll give it to Real Ale Oktoberfest, for the ones that I've actually tried.  Maybe the O'Dell one will kick ass. 

Best Austin beer of the only TWO offered at the freaking AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL Category:  Oasis Metamodern.

Beer on the list I'd like to try Category: O'Dell APA.

Best bang for your buck Category:  Devil's Backbone for sure at 8%, but Deep Ellum and Arrogant Bastard are right there at about 7%.

Enjoy yourself some tasty beer!  I expect to have maybe one of these and then chug loads of vodka!  Less than two days away!

ACL Survival Tips: 2016 Edition

I did this last year for the first time, and figured I'd update last year's post with some observations I made after last year was over.  This is all about how to survive the weekend.  

First things first, let it go.  Just relax, man.  You likely aren't going to get to see ALL the bands you want to see.  You probably won't get as close as you thought.  You are going to have to wait in line.  Someone is going to step on your toes.  You will be hot and sweaty. That dude next to you will smell.  You will get smoke in your eyes.  Someone with a moronic banner of a wide receiver's face with some witticism on it is going to get in your way during your favorite song.  There are going to be tens of thousands of people in your way for the next three days.  Don't panic.  The point of this whole thing is to have some fun.  Have some fun. 

Once you have that in mind, what to do next?  Here are a couple of pointers from me, for what they're worth:

• Be Friendly.  Tens of thousands of people are in the Park with you.  I think you can definitely have more fun if you are nice to those around you.  Smile and say hi to the people around you. You may meet someone cool, have a fun talk, score a tip about a new food choice or band, whatever. If you bump into someone, apologize and smile.  If you are standing up to watch a show and someone short is standing behind you, offer to let them get in front of you - you can see over them and they aren't just looking at your big dumb head.  My friend Jason is the king of that one.  Pick up your trash. Don't cut in line.  Don't muscle your way up to the front of a show because you were late. Help people look for something they dropped.  Be cool if someone just NEEDS to squeeze up three feet closer to see the sweat on Mumford's brow.  Just be nice.
• Bag Free Line.  Don't bring some gigantic backpack (see my note about "Gear" below) and then you'll be able to breeze into the Fest.  On each set of lines, they'll have a set that allows you to get in quickly if you don't have a bag that needs to be searched.  No lines = more music action.
• Sunscreen.  Dude, just put some on before you go, and take at least a little with you.  You are going to freaking fry, as there is no shade by any of the stages.  Maybe you can cozy up to one of the fences and snag 10 minutes of shade between shows, but just know you will be in pure sun all day, unless you go play video games or watch football all day like a weirdo.  And don't bring spray sunscreen, they'll take it away at the gates.
• Chairs.  In my opinion, don't waste your time.  If you need to sit, you have an ass for that.  Otherwise, you are having to schlep those damn things all over the place, and can't sit close to stages (they have chair-free zones all around the stages), and its just a whole thing.  Unless you plan to camp out all day in a special spot with your buddies and your flag, just leave them at home.
• Booze.  Loyal readers, I know that you think I am super cool and never uncool, but when I sneak in a traveler of whiskey, I am so nervous.  I'm honestly shocked that the people at the gates don't spot me from Barton Springs and just preemptively toss me into the creek.  I must check my pockets for their bulginess about 3,000 times in between parking and the gate.  And I've never been caught yet (knocking on wood).  The thing is, you can buy a traveler of Jim Beam for six bucks at Spec's, which can be mixed with several expensive cokes for a significantly cheaper price than the equal amount of $8 warm tall-boys of beer.  Hell, I saw a dude one year with a handle of whiskey he'd snuck in with a camp chair, so they aren't checking all that closely, but be cool if you are trying to be sneaky.  I've also seen people with gallon ziplocs full of booze, fake-cell-phone flasks, and camelbacks that they somehow got in still full.
• Booze II.  Also, take it easy on the booze.  Even if you are taking an Uber [ed. note, Uber is dead, as is Lyft, so you'll have to ride in some jenky competitor's car or do the driving yourself] home and have no worries about driving at the end of the night, you will be dehydrated and tired and dumping a ton of alcohol into your system could end badly.  Don't be the guy passed out and getting stepped over all day.  Don't make the people around you suffer through your drunken freakout while they are trying to enjoy their music.  Don't add barf to a crowd.  And for that matter, why get so drunk you forget the show?  You paid to go watch music - you could get hammered at the house for free.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some beverages throughout the day, but everyone else there will appreciate a touch of restraint before you get to blackout stage.
• Water.  You are allowed to bring two factory-sealed 1 liter water bottles (uh...) or an empty camelback/Nalgene to fill at the water stations.  You need water, man.  Yes, even you 20 year olds.  You are going to be in Texas heat all day long.  You will sweat it all out and need more.  Don't be dumb.
• Smoking.  The website says that smoking is not allowed at Austin City parks.  This may be technically true, but know that everyone there is going to have a backpack of weed and American Spirits and they are going to smoke everywhere.  You will see three-year-old children rolling joints in the Kiddie Limits area.  You will smell cannabis smoke at the gospel show on Sunday morning.  Cops will see all of this and not care.  There will be a pack of nine 12 year olds in their cheerleading uniforms passing around an eight foot tall bong shaped like Yao Ming, and a cop will walk through their smoke cloud to ask you where you got your taco.
• Gear.  You may need a stack of gear, but I am the type to just want to be free of encumbrances.  If you bring a backpack, they are going to search you at the door and then that hot, heavy blanket is going to be on your back all day long.  Just bring good shoes for standing all day, a cool shirt that is going to breathe as you sweat through it for ten hours, your phone (with an extra battery if you have it), and some water.  Otherwise, leave it at home and life will be simpler.  Oh, and selfie sticks are banned, so leave that trash at home too.
• Earplugs?  I have yet to give in to the intelligent maneuver of protecting my hearing, and for the most part, even when I have been up close, the music has not been too terribly loud.  However, if you get stuck right in front of any of the speaker walls, you are going to wish you had something to shove in your ears, because that can be killer. Just food for thought here.
• ACL Cashless.  They rolled this out a few years ago, it allows you to link a credit card to your wristband.  It is awesome.  Last year, I preached caution, and I still would, as you can rack up a million charges and not really be paying attention to your spending, but it is GREAT to not have to pay with cash.  Also, unless they streamline some since last year, know that it isn't terribly easy to do the scan and pay move.  After you scan your wristband, you still have to interact with a jenky iPad clone to navigate a tip/don't tip landmine screen, usually with your server standing there smiling at you over some huge cleavage and 850 people in line behind you.  High stress moment.  I was never entirely sure what I did at any given time - the screens seem to reflect all natural light directly into your pupils for maximum confusion factor.
• Rendezvous point.  I have had a hell of a time getting text messages out once the late afternoon and evening roll around and the park fills up.  Also, your phone battery will likely be super taxed as it tries to hunt down a signal and/or re-send the 12 messages you sent your buddy about grabbing one more beer on his way back from the can.  So, plan ahead and just expect that your phone may die and you might need to meet back up with your friend or kid or ride at a certain predetermined spot in the park.  Be careful using the flags that people raise to mark their spots, as those sometimes move and they are also sometimes duplicated.  I had a super annoying conversation with someone via text one time where both of us were "just to the right!" of a pink flamingo.  Too bad there were two pink flamingos on sticks at that show.  it is easy to get separated, so have a predetermined spot to meet.
• Sunday morning.  Now this is just entirely personal preference, but ever since by buddy Chad and I fired up the 2008 ACL weekend, I have enjoyed the relaxed process of waking up late on Sunday morning, hitting up brunch/lunch somewhere showing football, and then getting out to the Fest a little later.  By that third day, unless you are under 25, you are going to be freaking tired and sore.  A little relaxation will do your body good to go out strong on the last day.
• Getting Close.  I know that you may not care or you may want to be comfortable, but from experience, you are going to have a significantly more fun time if you are in the middle of people jamming the tunes rather than way in the back with the people who are dicking around on phones or talking instead of paying attention. Standing off to the back left of Chance the Rapper, very boring, but the huge crowd in the center of the stage were pumping their hands and jumping and appeared to be having a great time to the same music that was boring me.  I'm not saying you need to wait all day like the weirdos last year who sat up front all day, reading their phones and napping, until The Weeknd played, but just know that there is real energy in a lot of those shows that you miss when you are a mile away.

The ACL website also has a few tips, if you are hungry for more tip action.  I need to hunt down the beer list to see if I can write up the alcohol situation for the Fest.  See you soon!

ACL 2016: Saturday Thoughts

Saturday is going to be freaking great.  Heavy rap day, with Kamaiyah, Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, LL Cool J, Jazz Cartier, and DJ Mustard (onnbee HO!).  There are a bunch of artists on this day who I never knew until this process, and then there are a handful I already know I like.  Going to be a good day, even if this is going to be the day with the most painful conflicts.  I'm going to have to miss a lot of good music.

The Saturday playlist for you to enjoy as you peruse the below thoughts.

12:00

Miller	Israel Nash: Classic Neil Young, and then some shape-shifting into Ryan Adams and the Stones
Cirrus	Jazz Cartier: Toronto rapper who takes more cues from Kevin Gates than Drake
(now at 12:45 on Samsung)	Honne: I don't know, man.  More indie synth stuff.  These bands are starting to run together

This is a tough choice for me right here at the start.  The more I listen to Nash and Cartier, the more that I like both of them.  If we make it out to the park this early, I might just have to go check out a few songs from each guy.  If I'm forced to make a choice, I'd probably go with Nash just to ease my way in to the day with something nice and chilled.

12:45

Honda	Nothing But Thieves: Groove-based, Muse-esque rock and roll
Tito's	Matt the Electrician: Fine singer/songwriter tunes from a local guy
BMI	The Gills: Fun punk-ish rock out of Nashville with a Brit bent
DROPPED OUT	Haelos: Annoyingly spelled electronic pop

This is a huge bummer for me.  Two of the best new bands that I've heard because of checking out the Fest are Nothing But Thieves and The Gills.  I like them both a lot.  NBT are a little more polished, a little more radio friendly and currently popular, but the Gills have this rad raw-ness that I want to see.  I think I'll likely do NBT, but we'll see how I feel.  Oh, and Matt the Electrician is actually really great too - he'd be a great way to start your day if you want to have a chill start to your Saturday, go see Israel Nash and then Matt and you'd be off to a great start.

1:30

Miller Lite	Caveman: Good indie rock reminiscent of War on Drugs
Cirrus	Lewis Del Mar: Electro acoustic as though Jose Gonzalez found a drum machine
Tito's	Kamaiyah (1:45): Bay Area bad ass lady rapper
HomeAway	Gallant: Electronic alternative R&B with a golden voice over boring tunes

Another rough choice for me - why couldn't some of these people been on Friday in the dead zones? Caveman has some great songs that I have still been listening to for the past few weeks, but I've got to go see Kamaiyah do her thing.  I've been singing "I'm Kamaiyuh, you must retiyah" for the past few days over and over in my head.  We'll see how the show is with no one there this early in the day, but I'm in to check it out.

2:30

Honda	Saint Motel: Sunny pop rock purveyors who created "My Type"
Tito's	Luisa Maita (2:45): Brazilian tunes
BMI	Lucy Dacus: Indie rock girl doing good work with a torchy voice
Samsung	City and Colour: Surprisingly good blues rock reminiscent of Jeff Buckley

Man.  Another bummer of a conflict.  I'm going to go do City and Colour, but I'd also like to go party with Saint Motel.  But I feel like the band of those two with the staying power and the better music will be C&C.  Lucy Dacus also has a few great tunes, and an excellent voice.  You wouldn't be out of line to go check her out.

3:30

Miller	Andra Day: New Amy Winehouse who wants you to Rise Up instead of dodge rehab
Cirrus	Jack Garratt: "Next Big Thing" sounds like last year's soul electro
Tito's	NAWAS (4:00): The Weeknd-lite
HomeAway	DJ Mustard: You know, the rap producer who starts every track with "Muzzyonnabee Ho!"

Meh?  I guess I'll go see Garratt so that I can hear "Surprise Yourself" and tear up a little bit, but Andra Day or DJ Mustard might also be fine?  Nothing in this hour is must-see appointment viewing for me.

4:30

Honda	Catfish and the Bottlemen: Badass rock and roll
BMI	Aubrie Sellers: Good country-fied rock from Lee Ann Womack's daughter
Samsung	LL Cool J: Don't Call It a Comeback!  I Been Here for Years!

I'd love to see all three of these.  But I want to see Catfish the most.  From the last time I saw LL, I'll say that he did more of the slow jam, love track stuff than I would have liked, I just wanted him to stick to the hard shit and walk with panthers and stuff.  "She got booty?"

5:30

Miller	Melanie Martinez: Cutesy (a little too cutesy at times) but explicit electro indie pop
Cirrus	The Naked and Famous: New Zealand electronic indie pop I thought was MGMT
Tito's	Nao (5:15): Female version of Gallant; electro alternative R&B
HomeAway	AlunaGeorge: Terrifically boring electronic pop

Another kind move by the scheduling folks at C3, giving me a perfect opportunity to go find some good food during a dinnertime set of stuff that I could care less about.  Out of the four of these, I'd probably choose Martinez, but that is not a ringing endorsement.  I absolutely will not go watch Nao or Aluna.

6:30

Honda	Cage the Elephant: Great, straight-forward rock and roll with some pop cross-over success
Tito's	Bomba Estereo: Catchy Latin electronic dance music transcends language for a few tunes
BMI	New Madrid: What kind of band is My Morning Jacket?  Then yeah, these guys are good at that
Samsung	Schoolboy Q: Real deal new school gangster rapper, buddies with Kendrick

This one sucks.  I'd go pay money to see Cage, Madrid, or Schoolboy.  I feel like I'm going to choose Cage, as their new album is really good stuff and I'm excited about seeing them for the first time. Schoolboy's new album is excellent as well, but I've seen him three times before.  But I'd love to see him again.  Dilemma!  New Madrid is going to lose out for sure, but I'm sad about that because they are cool too.

7:30

Miller	Andrew Bird: Beautiful and warm indie tunes
Cirrus	Two Door Cinema Club: Crazy fun Irish dance pop with guitars involved
HomeAway	The Chainsmokers: EDM, just like you've heard so many times before

Two Door Cinema Club is the correct choice here.  They are fun, rocking, danceable, and smart sounding stuff.  That being said, Bird is actually really excellent music that I enjoy listening to.  And Chainsmokers looks fun as crap to go jam out too, even if their actual music is garbage.

8:30

Honda	Kygo: Insanely popular but generic EDM
Samsung	Kendrick Lamar: One of the top rappers today

Kendrick all day.  Kygo is terrible.  I've seen Kendrick before, but that was before To Pimp a Butterfly and his off the chain Grammy performance, so I'm pretty pumped to see what he does in his shows these days.