And just like that, the heat returned. The hot sun beat down on the wet grass, creating an inescapable humidity in Zilker Park on Sunday. As such, the people came prepared to sweat it out. The same guys hawking ponchos yesterday now had packets of sunscreen for sale at a “discount”…
After a lackluster Saturday, things are already heating up on Sunday afternoon at Zilker Park. Actually, they were plenty hot in the morning, too: Temperatures soared into the ’90s, but, more important, the sun has returned from its gray Saturday slumber .And it started its beating early: By the time…
Kind of an awkward second night at the 2011 Austin City Limits Music last night. The worst part: It could’ve been great. Alas, in the end, not so much. But, sure enough, it started pretty well: Exciting offerings from Cee-Lo Green and Cut Copy bled into anticipated performances from Chromeo,…
My Morning JacketAMD Stage — Austin City LimitsSeptember 17, 2011Better than: about 99 percent of any other concerts I’ve ever seen. Is My Morning Jacket the best live band on the planet? In the universe? They sounded like it on Saturday night at Austin City Limits Music Festival as they…
As the performances began at Zilker Park, they were accompanied by a much-needed downpour as venders, outside and in the festival, struggled for their piece of the poncho market-share. On the plus side — and it’s a very plus side — the rain brought relief to an area of Texas…
It’s tough to complain too much about the sporadic rain that’s literally watering down the second afternoon of the 2011 Austin City Limits Music Festival. Texas needs to drink, y’all. No, it’s not all bad. Another upside: The wet ground makes you feel like less of a jerk for sparking…
Kanye WestBud Light Stage — Austin City LimitsSeptember 16, 2011Better than: what you probably heard about the show, unless you heard it from Kanye. It didn’t take long for Kanye West to buy into his own hype last night, as he headlined the first night of the 2011 Austin City…
Coldplay AMD Stage — Austin City LimitsSeptember 16, 2011 Better than: waiting for Coldplay to release a Greatest Hits album. It would be a pretty hipster thing to say that the Coldplay show at Austin City Limits Music Festival on Friday was cheesy and overly sincere. But you won’t actually…
The first day of Austin City Limits Music Festival was a surprise to say the least. Having never been to one of these outdoor music festivals, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had a hunch that getting close the stage at any act I wanted to see would be tough…
Off in the distance, the song of the summer, Foster the People’s can’t-stop-won’t-stop “Pumped Up Kicks,” is blasting away over Zilker Park, blaring from the P.A. over at the Google+ (nee Dell) Stage. There’s a marvelous tag-team effort at play here: Foster the People don’t want the summer to end,…
This weekend, Dallas benefits heavily from the Austin City Limits Music Festival spillover effect, which has some of the best bands in the world looking for a place to play in and around town. There are a whole bunch of these shows, as well as a few others, making this…
If it seems like we’ve been waiting forever for the new Sarah Jaffe release, it’s because we kind of have been. Or, at least, we’ve sure been reporting on it for a while — dating back to July 2010, when Jaffe told us that the new disc was likely going…
There are at least two notable local music connections to noted pop experimentalist Todd Rundgren. The first is the fact that Neon Indian’s chillwaves rode not one, but two Rundgren samples on their debut album Psychic Chasms, with “Deadbeat Summer” using some of Rundgren’s “Izzat Love?” track and “Local Joke”…
For over 25 years, Roger Miret has been the rough-hewed mouthpiece for New York’s Agnostic Front. In that time, his band has become one of the landmark hardcore/metal outfits, releasing hyper-aggressive slabs of animosity that just seem to keep getting better with time. My Life My Way, Agnostic Front’s tenth…
Bright Eyes with First Aid Kit Palladium Ballroom Thursday, September 15, 2011 Better than: what everyone around the office predicted, including the gent who penned our preview in this week’s paper. Not long into Bright Eyes’ opening salvo at the Palladium last night, a faithfully folksy version of “Four Winds,”…
Earlier this week, the Granada Theater announced a new show coming to its room on Saturday, October 8. The show will feature touring headliners Portugal. The Man, plus an opening set from Dallas locals Air Review. Specifically, the inclusion of Air Review is where things get interesting: Back in August, the…
You know Aaron Eiland’s work. Dude is clearly good at what he does. Here, the Dallas-based graphic designer proves it again…
Over on the Star-Telegram’s music blog this afternoon, music critic Preston Jones posted a nice little Q&A with Hudson Moore, the Fort Worth-based country singer-songwriter who has been tapped to be the very first performer at this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival. It’s either an awesome honor or kind…
Something happened this week 20 years ago, and music hasn’t been the same since: Nirvana released “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the lead single from Nevermind, which would itself come out later in the month. With the song came a new movement in music, a new era. But plenty of other…
Not to keep touting each and every Thursday night gig at Rio Room, but tonight’s offering at the Travis Street lounge is again an intriguing one. After recent Thursday night sets from Diplo, Shuttle (the DJ moniker of new Dallas resident Nate Donmoyer of Passion Pit) and others, the Thursday…
The 35 Denton crew is at it again. As the end of the year approaches, this festival team is busy revamping their image, scoping out bands and getting the word out. Yes, the four-day event called 35 Conferette and North By 35 and held every year the weekend before South…
No, James T. Fallon did not join Neon Indian for their performance on his Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show last night. But he did geek out on them. Yes, again.This time, Fallon’s mind was blown by the band’s new PAL 198X synth, which he gave a nice plug before…
