We’re still focusing on our day jobs, so our posts will be rather infrequent for the next week or so.
Want to quickly remind you about Record Store Day, coming up this Saturday. Make sure you go out to your friendly neighborhood record store, and at the very least, tell them thanks for hanging in there.
Here’s a message from Record Store Day ambassador Jack White:
Jack White on “Austin City Limits.”
See what really went down when Jack White and his bands taped an episode of “Austin City Limits.” Episode premieres January 5 on PBS, check local listings for time and channel.
Austin City Limits official web site
BONUS: Here’s “Love Interruption” from the TV show.
Jack White taped an episode of “Austin City Limits” TV show.
We wrapped up the weekend in Austin, Texas, with a visit to the new studios of “Austin City Limits,” the TV show, for a taping by Jack White. Incredible – that’s all we can say.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse (Photo courtesy of Ken Angelle)
The TV show has a little to do with the big Austin City Limits Music Festival, which wrapped on Sunday. The headliners that day were Iggy & the Stooges and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and we hear Iggy and gang killed it.
On Saturday, so did Neil Young. He played a version of “Down By the River” to kill for, and we really got off to the new “Walk Like A Giant.”
His oldie “Cinnamon Girl” was also a crowd favorite, and we kick off our awesomeness review with that (check out Neil’s interplay with the signer for the hearing impaired). Thanks to gil garcia for use of the video.
View more video highlights at the Austin City Limits Music Festival YouTube page
UPDATE: Somebody ripped the webcast showing most of Neil Young’s ACL set. View it here. (Does not include the last three songs, including “Down By The River.”) (“Walk Like A Giant” begins about the 30:13 mark and ends around 48:50.)
Neil Young (right) and Crazy Horse closed out the night with a psychedelic rock frenzy.
by Denny Angelle
Saturday, the middle day of the big Austin City Limits Music Festival, offered a little bit of everything for festival goers – a variety that ranged from different musical styles to a choice of weather. “If you don’t like the weather in Texas, wait a minute and it will change,” goes the saying, and it did.
A warm, humid day finally gave way to strong, intermittent rain showers but the downpours were mostly welcomed by crowds gathered around stages featuring hip hop, bluegrass, country, and good old rock and roll. The grass of Austin’s Zilker Park quickly turned into a muddy quagmire in the more heavily traveled areas of the festival grounds, particularly around the food and refreshment stands and the porta-potties.
Father John Misty
When the deep bass thump of a hip hop act on a nearby stage act bled into the quirky, gentle music of Father John Misty, singer Josh Tillman playfully stopped his own set to listen, and dance, along. And when the rain got a little too close to the electricity of British rockers Band of Skulls, they too halted their set briefly so that helpers and attendants could mop up the stage and cover equipment with plastic sheeting.
Tillman, formerly the touring drummer of indie rock sweethearts Fleet Foxes, offers up a sunny bit of singer/songwriter-ness flavored with a little bit of soul and a baggie full of drug-fueled attitude. “Fun Times in Babylon” and “Only Son of the Ladies’ Man” are calling cards for Father John Misty’s Laurel Canyon scenarios, and his mellow band laid back, ready to explode at the drop of a non-sequitur.
The Whigs, from Athens, Ga., rocked harder. The trio’s garage rock exploded over the crowd at Zilker, singer/guitarist Parker Gispert hopping around on one foot like Jethro Tull’s redneck brother. “Waiting,” with its crunchy guitar chording, is the Whigs’ signature, and “Summer Heat” was appropriate for the weather – for the moment, at least.
Steve Earle
As the storm clouds gathered we made our way over to the next stage for alt-rockers Band of Skulls, from Southampton, England. Possessing a darker, more driving sound, these Brits gamely tried to keep the rain away but when the fat drops made their presence felt the audience roared in approval. Just a few minutes later, though, the downpour sent the Skulls running away from the humming amps and cracking electric instruments. Once the towels and white plastic sheeting protected everything, the Skulls came out and finished their thumping, driving set. Sorry I didn’t get too many song titles – the ink on my notes simply washed away.
Wet but undaunted, we dropped in on the Punch Brothers, a progressive bluegrass group that could be the American version of Mumford and Sons. That is, if Mumford were as happy and engaging as Punch frontman Chris Thile. Thile’s music is ambitious to say the least – he wrote a 40-minute suite dealing with his divorce – and occasionally the Punch set veered toward some precious experimentalism, such as a cover of Radiohead’s “Morning Bell.”
The Punch Brothers offered up some rousing bluegrass.
But they brought it all home and put smiles on our faces at set’s end with crowd pleasers like “Who’s Feeling Young Now?” and the rousing “Rye Whiskey,” with its shout-along “Oh, boy” refrain.
Which was a perfect setup for the next act, the great Steve Earle. The Texas bard offered up “Waitin’ On The Sky” before he jumped right in and introduced “Little Emperor” with: “This song is for George W. and his fuckin’ horse!” I love Steve Earle – but I must admit I cut out on him a bit early when I heard the thump of The Roots finally cease, way down at the end of the park.
The rain just got us wet – it didn’t stop anybody’s fun at ACL.
That’s because I needed to see Neil Young & Crazy Horse, the night’s nominal headliner. Young at one end of the park vs. Jack White playing on the other end gave festival goers a very tough decision on Saturday, and I opted to head for Neil.
One side note: on the way from Steve Earle to Neil Young a few hundred yards apart, I encountered a very large crowd to see popster Gotye. Slicing through his adoring crowd, I heard a few of his songs. Ugh. Steve Earle to Gotye to Neil Young, that’s not for the faint of heart. I hope I don’t come down with Gotye poisoning later this week.
Possibly the only Woodstock veteran (update: John Fogerty and Levon Helm have also played ACL) to also play the Austin City Limits festival, Young ripped through a fuzz and feedback- filled frenzy that included “Love and Only Love,” and new ones like the goofy ” Born In Ontario” and stomping rocker “Walk Like A Giant.” The latter was a guitar showcase, with Young spraying jagged guitar leads like a machine gun around his veteran backup band Crazy Horse. Just when you thought the song was over (it had already gone on for about 10 minutes) it climaxed with the thunder of giant footfalls and a rainshower of psychedelic feedback (going on for five more minutes).
The crowd, not quite believing what it just experienced, was polite so Young strapped on an acoustic and harmonica to offer up “The Needle And The Damage Done,” as if to thank the audience for its patience. The whole set kind of went that way: a new song or two, followed by one of Young’s favorites to keep everybody interested. “Powerfinger” made an appearance, and after a shoutout to “my sweetheart” Young offered up a rousing “Cinnamon Girl.”
Neil Young cranks it, with Crazy Horse guitarist Frank “Poncho” Sampedro.
But perhaps the peak of an already incredible set came late, when Young surprised everyone by dusting off the chestnut “Down By The River.” It was awesome – Neil didn’t try (or didn’t want) to match the recording’s guitar work note for note, making this live rendition slightly ragged but really right. “Fuckin’ Up” concluded with Young himself admitting “I fucked up the ending of this song,” and we closed out the night with “Hey Hey My My” and its battle cry “rock and roll will never die.”
What a way to wind it all up. Thanks, Neil.
Our Austin correspondent caught Jack White as we rocked out to Neil Young but don’t worry – we have a few videos from his ACL set and as a bonus (for us) we’re attending his taping of the “Austin City Limits” TV show tonight. Check ya later!
Jack White – “Blue Blood Blues”
They expect about 70,000 a day to attend the 2012 Austin City Limits Music Festival.
So they are expecting about 70,000 people a day, which makes ACL one of the country’s premier music festivals. We’re going to take some pictures and drink a few beers, and take in some music – and hopefully we’ll be alive to report back on Sunday.
You can be a part of this, too. Here’s how:
1. Watch streaming performances from ACL on the web. More acts than ever will be streamed (courtesy of YouTube) and they’ve just added a few more big names to the schedule, including Florence + the Machine on Friday and Iggy & the Stooges on Sunday. Click here to see the full schedule and watch the webcast.
2. Listen to live broadcasts related to the festival from Austin radio. Stations invite some of the performers to be interviewed and play a short set for their live broadcasts. Big fun.
KUT-FM has a lineup beginning at 9 a.m. CDT today (Friday) that includes Antibalas, Quiet Company, First Aid Kit and Jovanotti. To see a schedule and listen to the KUT lineup, click here.
KGSR-FM has a two-day schedule that begins today and includes Asleep at the Wheel, Patterson Hood, Ben Howard, LP, the Dunwells, the Whigs, Michael Kiwanuka and Father John Misty. To see a schedule and listen to the KGSR lineup, click here.
3. If you are in Austin and don’t have (or don’t want) tickets to the big festival, you can choose among a number of “aftershows” at local clubs featuring festival performers. Our friends at the Austin blog Do512 have compiled a list of aftershows and they’ll tell you how to get tickets and which are already sold out. Click here to see the lineup.
All right, then. We’ll keep in touch.
Jack White is one of the headliners for this weekend’s Austin City Limits Music Festival – he has the unenviable task to play on one end of Zilker Park the same time as Neil Young & Crazy Horse, who will be way on the other end.
We’ll be there, so we will give you an update Sunday. In the meantime, here’s “I’m Shakin’ ” off White’s solo, Blunderbuss.
Austin City Limits Festival, where you can let your inhibitions go. (Photo by Steve Wrubel/Courtesy ACL Festival)
The Austin City Limits Music Festival kicks off next Friday (Oct. 12) in Austin, celebrating its 10th year as one of the country’s premier music parties. This year more than 130 acts will play for three days for about 70,000 people per day.
And don’t even ask about tickets, they’ve been sold out for months. So who’s playing? Glad you asked: The Black Keys, Florence + the Machine, Jack White, the Roots, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The Avett Brothers, Iggy & the Stooges and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among many more.
We’ll be there for one day – Saturday, when we have to choose between Jack White and Neil Young, who play at the same time. We’ll let you know how that goes.
Wish you were here, and you can be. Tune in to the ACL Festival live stream on YouTube beginning Friday afternoon; the lineup of artists they have scheduled isn’t too shabby: Asleep at the Wheel, Delta Spirit, Tegan and Sara, the Alabama Shakes, The Black Keys, The Shins, Bassnectar, The Roots, Jack White, Two Door Cinema Club, Steve Earle, The Avett Brothers, Gary Clark Jr. and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
It’s a good deal – it’s free. Check out the full schedule for the ACL Festival live stream and tune back on Friday for the performances.
YouTube: Teaser Trailer for the ACL Festival live stream
In other ACL Festival news, organizers announced the festival will expand to two weekends in October 2013. Many people think it’s going to work a lot like Coachella, where the same acts play basically the same sets both weekends.
Festival producers C3 Presents say that scenario is possible, but there may be one weekend where more local acts are booked. Many of the top artists playing the fest will likely stick around for the week in Austin, possibly playing small sets at the city’s many bars and venues and generally creating havoc for 10 consecutive days.
If you want to go to any part of this festival next year, we suggest you sign up for the Official ACL Festival E-list, like ACL Fest on Facebook and follow it on Twitter. About a week after this year’s festival concludes, organizers will put some sweet 3-day passes on sale for $50 apiece. But you have to be quick, and very lucky, to score any of these. Knowing about this stuff ahead of time is really helpful, if you catch our drift.
Jack White plays at SXSW in Austin. (Photo by Jo McCaughey/courtesy of Jack White III.com)
Jack White, formerly of the White Stripes – not to mention the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather – drops his first solo record, Blunderbuss, on April 24. You can stream it now, however. It touches on all aspects of his career, and opens up a few new avenues for him. Take a listen:
Pujol plays at the Spider House during SXSW. Daniel Pujol is at far right.
Editor’s Note: This was written by our Austin correspondent Lily Angelle.
Nashville Tennessee’s Daniel Pujol, whose singles “Black Rabbit” and “Too Safe” were produced by Jack White’s prominent Third Man Records, is not letting all the attention get to his head. Rolling into SXSW with a bundle of shows to play, including the official Third Man Records Texas Stand-Off showcase as an opener for Jack White in the flesh, Pujol and his band, that sometimes varies depending on who’s available, graced small Austin venues like Spider House and Austin Symphony Square ever so humbly.
With a southern edge to his garage punk, Pujol sings about things like vampires, Batman and his own pet bunny, as well as big-picture concepts influenced by his truth-seeking writing and time in grad school, seeking a degree in Global Affairs. His debut EP, Nasty, Brutish, Short via Saddle Creek Records proved to be a success, with scruffy guitar riffs beneath Pujol’s grating rock and roll voice and peevish demeanor.
With his first ever LP, The United States of Being out June 5th, Pujol used SXSW as a time to showcase his adrenalized guitar sound, mixed with unassuming charm and loud, fast tempo that drives it all home. We caught up with him on his last leg of SXSW shows, and although it was evident that he and his bandmates had been burning the candle at both ends the last few days, Daniel still ever so kindly took our questions.
30 Days Out: What bands have influenced your music?
Pujol: I like Louis Armstrong, and I like The Beatles. I like a lot of melodic stuff.
30 Days Out: We really like how you give a brief summary of the stories behind your music before you play each song. Why do you do that?
Pujol: I used to work at a venue in Nashville and it got a little boring just watching set starts, like ‘ this is me doing my thing’ and then it’s over. There’s a level of alienation that’s constructed in that and it’s possibly no longer affective. And, this is my shtick. It makes me comfortable.
30 Days Out: You’re affiliated with Jack White’s Third Man Records. Are you signed to them now?
Pujol plays an amphitheater during SXSW.
Pujol: We did some work with them in the past and I played their [SXSW] showcase with Daniel and Stewart last night, and they continue to be very supportive and help me get the resources I need to make records.
30 Days Out: Is this your first time at SXSW? What’s it like, for you?
Pujol: No, second time. Last year I played thirteen shows, and it’s not that bad. I don’t really party at all, so it’s kind of athletic. It was harder this year because I was a little sick with some allergy stuff. It’s not that bad, you just have to pace yourself and do work.
30 Days Out: How is the Tennessee music scene different from Austin?
Pujol: There’s a very good dialogue between both of them. Austin’s kind of like a really big, sprawled Nashville. Nashville’s metropolitan area is pretty small, and Austin reminds me a lot of the city of Nashville, but way bigger.
30 Days Out: We closely follow not only you, but other Nashville artists like JEFF The Brotherhood and Those Darlins, and it seems like a closely knit music community. Do you guys hang out, or throw ideas around?
Pujol: When we were younger we did, before we started touring. We’ll see each other when we’re all in town. I saw Jake from JEFF – he picked up Daniel from outside our practice a while ago. I ran into the bass player for Those Darlins not too long ago. We’ve all known each other for about 5 years.
30 Days Out: So, you’re pursuing your Masters Degree. What are you majoring in?
Pujol: Global Affairs, political science, international relations kind of stuff.
30 Days Out: Do you get homesick for your bunny?
Pujol: Yes, I do. His name is Spooky.
Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes.
AUSTIN – Perhaps at this junction it might be helpful to briefly summarize the physical nature of the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival, so it can serve as a road map of sorts for the stories that will follow today.
SXSW is a four-day (or five, depending on who is doing the counting) conference for anyone interested in music: industry insiders, artists, publicists and fans. “Official” participants have purchased a badge or a wristband that allows one access to various panels, speeches, keynote addresses (like Bruce Springsteen’s talk on Thursday) and exhibits in the Austin Convention Center.
Once each day’s events are complete in the convention center, the night begins as participants spill out onto the streets of Austin to attend music performance “showcases” held in venues in and around the downtown area. This year more than 2,000 bands and acts are participating in the official SXSW, but there’s more.
Ian McLagan and the Bump Band.
Non-official events, employing at least another 2,000 acts, spill out from downtown and reach south on Congress Avenue, one of the city’s top drags; into the neighborhoods of the east side and west into the shopping district. These venues can be miles apart, and because many of these non-official events are free and do not require an official badge or wristband, they attract what could be as many as 200,000 people a day.
So we tell you all this because it’s important to note that Austin is not that big a city (population less than 800,000). So all of these people crawling around this urban anthill not only get in each others’ way, but also into each others’ faces. It’s real life bleeding over into the music, and it’s an experience you cannot have with any other type of festival. Whether you like it or not, you are in the movie and you are in the music.
The other night we walked into the Lucky Lounge in downtown Austin, where many weeks one can experience what we like to call the “World’s Greatest Happy Hour.” That is because there is no cover, and the entertainment just happens to be Ian McLagan and the Bump Band. McLagan, who in a few weeks will become a new member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his bands Small Faces and the Faces, is not only a terrific entertainer but a great, friendly guy.
At one point during our visit McLagan announced the next song as a number from the Faces. “And we’ll dedicate it to … is there anyone named Cindy in the house?” McLagan asked. When no ladies spoke up, we volunteered to be Cindy. McLagan looked over and chuckled, “Ha ha, it’s always a geezer. So this bloke is our Cindy tonight!” And he launched into “Cindy Incidentally.”
A few minutes later, as the Bumpsters stepped off for a smoke break, Mac picked up his pint and said to me, “Thanks, friend, for being part of the show.”
Part of the show … that’s what I’m talking about.
Last night we wandered around and harassed celebrities. The only one worth noting, really, was Mike Judge, the creator and voice behind animated characters like Beavis and Butthead and Hank of “King of the Hill.” We’re doing a short video for your entertainment on our wrapup day, so we asked Judge if he’d like to speak to us briefly.
Jimmy Cliff.
He and his companion paused, and in the time it would have taken to speak to our Flip camera, he told us sincerely, “Sorry, brother.” Then he went to yet another party where he was turned away at the door.
We’re here for the music so let’s get some of that in. We encountered reggae great Jimmy Cliff at the excellent Waterloo Records store – with a two-piece-acoustic-guitar-and-bongo-drum backup, he simply shined with “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” “Sitting In Limbo” and “Wonderful World, Beautiful People.” He updated his classic “Vietnam” into “Afghanistan” and offered up a shimmering cover of “I Can See Clearly Now.” He wrapped the short set with “The Harder They Come” and a singalong “One More.”
A few minutes later we spoke with Jimmy, and asked how he felt helping Bruce Springsteen wreck Austin the night before. “Fantastic,” Cliff said, his voice starting to give way after numerous gigs this week. “I have sung with him before and it has always been fantastic.”
From one legend to another: so we’re leaving the Jimmy Cliff gig to drive a few miles and pick up one of our party. At a stop light, we happen to glance sideways and see at a bus stop none other than Eric Burdon, the now white-haired leader of the Animals! Whoa! So we whip into a parking lot and walk up to him and his wife, Marianna.
We exchange pleasantries and in his inimitable accent, Burdon asks “Do you know where is the mall?” Wha? He needs some new shoes. “Sure, we know where a mall is!” (We didn’t.) But seconds later, one of rock music’s legends and finest voices climbs into the back seat of our car for a trip to the shoe store.
Burdon brought down the house with Bruce Springsteen on Thursday night as he sang a rousing “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” He told us Springsteen learned he was in town, and tweeted Burdon to invite him to sing. He was thoroughly impressed with the organization of Springsteen’s backstage production crew.
Now living in Joshua Tree, California, Burdon said he is working on a book and has completed a new album that was mixed in Texas. He’s shopping around for a distributor. He also gave us a card with a free download of a new song, “An Invitation To the White House (It Was A Dream).” We asked if he ever wanted to visit the White House, and Burdon replied, “No f**ing way! I already have enough aliens in my life!”
Burdon also said he loves Austin, “’cause you don’t see too many f**kin’ cops.” As we waved him into the shoe store, Eric waved back and said he’d see us again. And we’re pretty sure that will happen.
The legendary Eric Burdon, center, with intrepid 30 Days Out reporters Denny Angelle (left) and George Kovacik.
We got around to catching a set by the heavily hyped Alabama Shakes, led by singer/guitarist Brittany Howard. We can understand why the Shakes are this year’s “buzz” band – Howard is a great singer who howls, growls and purrs her way through some thick and tasty slabs of Southern soul and rock. The songs are simple but tuneful, and the band displays virtuosity without being showy. Although the Shakes’ debut album doesn’t see the light of day until April 10, you can go to their website and download “Hold On,” which is a good representation of their sound.
Later in the night, two members of our party found ourselves without a badge or band or any hope of getting into the more-exclusive-than-exclusive showcase by Jack White and members of his Third Man Records roster. We moped around outdoors for what seemed like hours, working every angle we could to get waved inside. We even made friends with members of different bands, some of whom were not performing. Finally a couple members of the band Pujol came out for a smoke, and one of them took a shine to us.
We’re in! We had to promise Pujol we’d do an interview; you can read it tomorrow maybe here or at our home blog 30 Days Out. Jack White was phenomenal, he played with two different bands – one all-girl, the other all-boy. He rocked material from his new solo album Blunderbuss and touched on every aspect of his career, with songs from the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather among others. Mid-set, the junior member of our team texted her terse review: “Holy motherf***ing shit.”
They wouldn’t let anyone take photos, even with a cell phone. Because we surely would have shared a picture of this: so the music’s over, and we spot this gray-haired gentleman in the back. We walk up, grab him by the shoulder, and Bill Murray turns to face us. “Ghostbusters forever!” is all we could say. He started laughing hysterically, then turned away and left.
There you have it – SXSW with music and a bit of face time with our fellow occupants of Planet Austin. When we leave tomorrow, we’re going to have memories forever and a pocketful of stories nobody will ever believe.
30 Days Out 