For Those Interested In Woody

This Friday at the Cactus Cafe, Jimmy LaFave, Eliza Gilkyson, and other folkies will pay tribute to folk legend Woody Guthrie. 

The show starts at 8 p.m. and I'm not sure how much tickets are but they shouldn't cost much.

For those interested in Woody Guthrie this should be a good introduction. For more info click here.

They're only two known videos of Woody Guthrie preforming. Since both of the videos have aged poorly over time, I decided to show this video that includes a Woody recording and a slide show. 

The World United Music Festival and Radio Conference

Austin Music Fans, here's something that may of slipped under your radar, and it's coming up soon. In close by San Marcos, The World United Music Festival and Radio Conference is being held November 14, 15, and 16th of this year! For whatever reason, I had not heard of this massive music fest until a few weeks ago. 

I believe this is the first year of the festival, and it is set up similar to Austin City Limits. 150 bands, 8 stages, and 3 days. But the fest has two major differences to ACL. First, it is held in November, which means no dust and certainly no heat. And secondly, it only costs $70 for a weekend pass and if you only want to check the fest out for one day then it is mere $35 for a day pass! 

The festival doesn't have big names like Beck, Foo Fighters, or Gnarls Barkley. It is centered around independent groups and should be a good event to attend if you are looking for some new interesting music. 

ACL Fest: Sunday

Today was mostly filled with acts that I have heard nothing or little about. So I was hoping to find some new cool bands Here's how my day went:

1:30-2:00: Octopus Project, I enjoyed this psychedelic instrumental quartet. Their style reminds me of The Flaming Lips minus the words, and their sound was full especially went they invited the Austin High School band on stage with them. B

2:00-2:30: The Kills, I left Octopus Project to checkout the Kills who left an impressionable mark at SXSW this spring. I definitely dig their sound, even though their band is just two guitarists and recorded drums, they have a full and inventive sound. B

2:30-3:30: Mike Farris feat. The Roseland Rhythm Revue, I had never heard of them until today and they put on a decent show. Farris has a really soulful voice and their style is a kind of funky gospel. B-

3:30-4:30: Stars, another band I have not heard of, they were just OK. Their sound was full but I thought their style was kind of generic. C+

4:30-4:45: Silversun Pickups, I have heard a couple of their tracks on the radio and I thought it was a 50/50 chance that I would enjoy their show. Well, maybe they were just having a bad day, but I didn't enjoy their set at all and left after only a couple songs. F

4:45-5:30: Neko Case, they had a nice and calming country vibe but I found their show to be a little boring after a while. The musicianship was good, just not my style. C+

6:30-7:45: The Raconteurs, the one band I was really looking forward to today. Unfortunately they were paired up against Gnarles Barkley, but since I have already seen Gnarls (they were amazing) The Raconteurs were a no brainer. They grabbed the crowd's attention right away with two high energy songs in "Consoler Of The Lonely" and "Level." They slowed it down slightly for the rest of the show but still kept a good energy level and full sound. Jack White and Brendan Benson are madmen on the guitar as Patrick Keller and Jack Lawrence hold everything together with their heart-pounding beats. The Raconteurs also changed up their song structure to where the song sounded fresh and new but still held onto the qualities that their fans love so much. With White's crazy guitar solos, Benson's calming voice, Lawrence's thundering bass, and Keller's pulsating drums, The Raconteurs were the kings of ACL 2008. A

Because I couldn't get close enough to hear Band of Horses clearly and myself not being particularly fond of The Foo Fighters, I decided to pack it in on a high note.

ACL Fest: Saturday

I have been going to ACL for four years now, and today may of been the most entertaining day yet. Here's how my day went.

2:30-3:30: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, maybe the best show of the fest so far. Jones may be fifty, but she has the energy of a toddler on crack. As we already knew, her voice is incredible and her backing band (The Dap Kings) can play some funky soul. Highlights were "Nobody's Baby", "Tell Me", and "Let Them Knock." I certainly hope to see them again. A

3:30-4:00: Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves, on first glance you would mistake them for just another young indie rock band, but these cats can play some mean soul. Reed has a powerful voice and their style reminds me of The Dap Kings with a little more instrumentals. B+

4:00-4:45: Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, rounding out my afternoon that was filled with soul, Black Joe never fails. I've seen him play in Austin a few times and his act is always full of energy. B

5:30-6:30: MGMT, the first time I saw MGMT I was a little disappointed. Not because they sounded bad, but for whatever reason they refused to turn up the volume. Well this time they really put on a great show. They played all their grooviest songs like "Electric Feel," "Time To Pretend," and "Weekend Warriors," and most importantly they played loud. A-

6:30-7:30: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, one of the best songwritters around put on one of the ten best shows I have ever seen. He played louder than I expected and his new band (The Mystic Valley Band) really complemented his songwriting. Oberst sang passionately and played my personal favorite "I Don't Want To Die (In A Hospital)." I dig Oberst's new country style and to my pleasure he played mostly songs from his new album. A

8:30-10:00: Beck, fresh off his new album Modern Guilt, Beck was the one headliner I have really been looking forward to. I thought his show started off slow, playing some of his old standards. But to my delight he switched to some of his new songs like "Orphans" and "Chemtrails." The act took an interesting turn when Beck and his band all stood at the front of the stage with some mixers and played "Hell Yes." The highlight of the performance for me was when he covered Bob Dylan's "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat." The overall sound of the show was lacking a little bit, but I was pleased with the performance. B+

Saturday was so jam packed with good acts that I didn't even get a chance to see rock legends John Fogerty, Roky Erickson, Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, and the most blueswelling Black Keys.

ACL Fest: Friday

Oh! The smell of reefer and sweat is in the air, and this means only one thing; the majestic Austin City Limits Festival is upon us. 3 days, 8 stages, and 130 bands, 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When it comes to events in Austin, it's hard to top ACL. 

Here's how my Friday at ACL went down.

2:30-3:30: Vampire Weekend, I was sort of torn between seeing them and Jakob Dylan, but because I was so impressed with Vampire's debut album I choose the afro-pop ivy league alt- rockers. They played a decent show but I was sort of disappointed. Their singer sounded good but their overall sound was lacking. They also needed to turn up the volume. But they did play some new material which makes me curious to see how good their next album will be. B-

3:30-4:30: Del the Funky Homosapien, and I now have a new favorite rapper. You probably know him best from his guest appearance on the Gorillaz's hit song "Clint Eastwood." His fast rhymes and jovial style makes him sound like the old school rappers of the early 90's instead of the ones today. Del and his funky rapping crew know how to accompany each other's styles and really had the crowd moving with their tremendous stage presence. B+

5:15-6:00: Mates of States, I have to say that before today I knew very little of this duo. But they caught my attention with their melodic tunes. Their show was good but did not make my jaw drop. B-

6:30-7:30: N.E.R.D., this is probably the show I enjoyed the least. Although they played loud and had a good backing band, for some reason I just wasn't feeling the music. Most of the crowd seemed into it so maybe it was just me, but to me all their songs sounded the same and all the various parts of their songs did not seem to complement each other to well. It wasn't bad, just OK. C+

7:30-8:15: The Swell Season, everybody now knows this two from their Oscar winning soundtrack Once. Their set was a nice change of pace with their laid back and intimate style. Possibly my favorite moment of the whole day was when they played the great Van Morrison song "Astral Weeks." Definitely a good show for laying in the grass on a cool night. B-

8:15-10:00: The Mars Volta, without a doubt the loudest show of the night. Their guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is truly unbelievable as he sounds like a mix between Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) and David Gilmour (Pink Floyd). Volta definitely doesn't sound like anybody else today and I would best describe them as a psychedelic alt-rock jam band. Personally, I'm not big on their recorded albums, but live they are certainly worth the ticket price. B+ 

Friday was a good day, but what I'm really looking forward to is Saturday.

 

ACL Preview

With the seemingly thousands of bands playing at Austin City Limits, trying to find your way around Zilker Park can be confusing. So I've devised a list of the 10 must see acts.

10. Black Joe Lewis, an Austin vet who can belt out soul.

9. G. Love & Special Sauce, Fri. 7:30, a combination of blues and rap, G. Love plays a fun show with his heartwarming songwriting.

8. MGMT, Sat. 5:30, released their creative debut album Oracular Spectacular, they are my new favorite acid band.

7. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Sat. 2:30, probably the best female soul vocalist today backed by one funky band.

6. Vampire Weekend, Fri. 2:30, new on the scene, Vampire takes alt-pop to a new level.

5. Conor Oberst, Sat. 6:30, arguably the best songwriter of the generation, fresh off a newly recorded album

4. The Raconteurs, Sun. 6:30, unfortunately up against Gnarls, but Jack White is reason enough to go.

3. The Black Keys, Sat. 7:30, the guitarist Dan Auerbach is unbelievable, as this duo plays the blues heavier than it has ever been played before.

2. Gnarls Barkley, Sun. 6:30, the coolest act out today, Cee-Lo's voice can knock down buildings and Danger Mouse is a musical genius. Also they put together a grovy backing band.

1. Beck, Sat. 8:30, fresh off arguably his best recording, you know Beck is going to throw a special show.

Antone's

There are a handful of places you have to experience if you live in Austin: Zilker Park, Lady Bird Lake, Magnolia Cafe, Waterloo Records, Threadgills, and so on and so forth. Antone's is definitely one of those places. In my opinion the best live music venue in Austin, which just so happens to be the Live Music Capital of the World.

When you walk into Antone's you see a timeline of blues history. All of the greats have played at Antone's: Albert Collins, B.B. King, Fats Domino, John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, Delbert McClinton, Jimmy Vaughn, and of course Stevie Ray Vaughn himself. Antone's history alone is reason enough to go. 

Antone's isn't flashy, it's pretty much a bar, a empty floor, a stage, seating is scarce, and is relatively small. But when you walk in you feel the bluesy atmosphere instantaneously. And since it's small, it is easy to find a good spot.   

Antone's was founded by the late Clifford Antone over thirty years ago. Antone moved to Austin in the late sixties to go to UT. Eventually he dropped out and started up a blues club, which was one of the first music venues around 6th street. One of Antone's accomplishments was helping launch the career of Stevie Ray Vaughn. Allowing Stevie to sit in with Albert King was a major factor in Stevie getting a recording deal. 

Sadly Antone passed away in 2006. His wife is now running the club and still attracts big acts. Alejandro Escovedo, Jakob Dylan, Ben Kweller, and Bob Schneider are all playing this month.