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Time just flew by this year. I envisioned getting a lot more bands with Q&A's for the festival but that didn't happen so here is my list. I am basing this list on the bands that are not as well known but are definitely ones to check out and see live in the alternative rock umbrella/genre. That is all I focus on here so if you aren't familiar with my blog - this is the reason.
If there is a clickable link with the band name, I was able to get in touch with the band and do an interview and it will link to my Q&A's with them. I can't believe the festival will be here in just a few short weeks. It seems like just yesterday I was super excited about the line up being announced.
Most of these bands though are playing at the same time! This is the frustrating thing about festivals and multiple bands playing on multiple stages. I wasn't planning on going to both weekends but I might need to somehow make a way. I'm just posting soundcloud links so this won't be a super long post.
**Edited to remove Kodaline and Hozier. didn't realize they were not on the schedule, although they were still listed on the main page line up.
BENJAMIN BOOKER
In case you haven't heard, this guy is bringing some straight up blues injected rock to the scene, and his debut album is pretty amazing. I am linking his second track from the debut album "Have you Seen My Son?"
BLEACHERS
Jack Anotonoff's side project Bleachers has a really great debut album and I would love to see how the live set comes to life. If you are not familiar but do like the band fun..check them out.
BLUE BEAR
I have to highlight some great Austin talent and Blue Bear is one of them. I am so excited to see their full live set on the stage at ACL. I can't wait for their new album Vacations to come out either. The tracks I have heard so far are pretty amazing.
BROODS
How did I miss this band was playing ACL? I am super excited while compiling my list - these guys are definitely on it.If you haven't been jamming to the track "Bridges" you need to be. I am looking forward to seeing them live and also what this band comes up with in the future.
CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN
If anyone reads my blog, they know that I love UK bands - Catfish and The Bottlemen are definitely one I want to see. I have been following them for a while now and I'm super excited to see them live, who knows when they will be back in the US.
THE CHAIN GANG OF 1974
In terms of indie synthpop bands, this band is great. The Chain Gang of 1974 is headed by Kamtin Mohager, reminds me a bit of M83 . The album Daydream Forever is not one to miss. I am posting my favorite track from the album "Sleepwalking" I would be interested to see how they translates in a live setting. I was bummed I missed them at SXSW.
THE DISTRICTS
These guys are from Lititz, PA and are making some great music with their most recent self titled EP. They are getting some great worldwide buzz and I'm really looking forward to seeing them live as well. They are definitely a great up and coming rock band and one to watch. Check out their track "Lyla". Another great track is Funeral Beds. I'm not surprised they are popular in the UK - when I first listened to them I had automatically thought they were not from the US.
EMPIRES
I wanted to see Empires at South By but it didn't work out. It's cool to see a lot of bands that played the SXSW Festival in March come back to Austin in October for ACL. I feel this band does not get enough recognition.I'm linking their track "How Good Does It Feel" from an EP that came out this year with the same name. This rock band from Chicago is definitely one to watch!
THE HUNTS
This lovely family band (all 7 brothers and sisters!) are playing ACL. For a while there were only a few covers and one original song I could find online, "Make This Leap". They now have an EP out titled Life Was Simple which has 3 original tracks, including "Make This Leap". I'm excited to see what this very talented band of 7 brothers and sisters do in the future.
J. RODDY WALSTON AND THE BUSINESS
If you are looking for some gritty, garage inspired rock, these guys need to be on your list. Some of their tracks are getting some good radio play so you may already be familiar but I have been wanting to see them live for a while.
KONGOS
I have been wanting to see these guys since they were originally announced for South By but didn't end up coming. I was also really surprised they answered a few questions for me being a signed band with a couple of singles in heavy rotation on radio stations so that makes them super cool in my book. I can't wait to see them live.
MINIATURE TIGERS
Miniature Tigers are pretty under rated in my opinion. They have been producing some pretty awesome witty pop for a while now and I'm glad to see they are coming back to ACL. If you are not familiar they just came out with a great album Cruel Runnings and I'm posting my favorite track from the album "Oblivious".
MOATS
Moats is a great band from the UK that actually won the unsigned spot to come to ACL for NME. You know they have to be pretty good to beat out a bunch of other unsigned bands because there are some great UK bands out there that are currently unsigned. Moats have a great sound but I can only currently find a few singles online. I really want to see how they perform live.
MODOC
I am really excited about MODOC. I posted about them a while back and more than likely I will prioritize my 'to see' list based on the bands I actually got to communicate with and do a couple of Q&A's with. This will be a challenging festial because have of the bands I want to see are playing at the same or overlapping times. If you are not familiar with Modoc, Check out their great track "Runnin'" Their debut album is pretty sweet, too.
NIGHT TERRORS OF 1927
I really wanted to see these guys at South By but it didn't work out. They have a great debut album out and I'm excited to check out their live set.
PAOLO NUTINI
Paolo Nutini has such a great voice and some really wonderful songs. He is also from overseas (Scotland) and I can't wait to check out his live set. Very talented with a bit of some R&B and Jazz influences which makes his sound even more cool and worth checking out.
PENNY & SPARROW
Penny & Sparrow is another talented Austin band that I am looking forward to seeing live. With amazing vocals and the diversity to be a full on band or just two guys on stage with a guitar. Their newest EP is definitely worth check out.
REAL ESTATE
This band isn't necessarily new or unknown, but if you haven't heard of them, you need to check them out for sure and add them to your list. I haven't seen them live yet so I'm really looking forward to it. Their album Atlas that came out this year is pretty stellar.
SAINTS OF VALORY
Another great Austin band. My tastes and likes are all over the place and these guys definitely sound polished and to me qualify for that big arena rock sound. I was actually going to see local musician Max Frost last year and I happened upon SOV's live set and I was really impressed. I look forward to seeing what these guys do in the future.
SNOWMINE
I am super excited to see these guys - they are from Brooklyn, NY and are completely self supported by their fans and do not have nor want a label. Their sound is so airy and just awesome and I can listen to their entire Dialects album all the way through. This album is in my top list for 2014 so far so you definitely need to check them out if you like laid back, chill and just great music.
SPANISH GOLD
This band kind of has Texas roots it is actually kind of a super group made up of Guitarist Adrian Quesada, formerly of Groupo Fantasma, Dante Schwebel, previously with Hacienda, and Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket. The trio is making some great psychadelic rock and I'm looking forward to checking out their live set. Their debut album South of Nowhere is pretty great.
TEMPLES
Temples has had really good success in the past year and if you dig 60's inspired rock, you have probably already heard of them. I saw them live at South By this year, but I would totally check them out again, they are great live.
YOUNG AND SICK
A bit of trivia. Young and Sick is made up of Nick Van Hofwegen who is a dutch artist that has done some really great cover art work for multiple artists including Foster The People and Maroon 5. I missed seeing them at South By this year so I'm interested to see how the live set comes out.
This is just a fraction of the great bands playing - of course the headliners are not included because well...everyone knows them. My point of this blog is to uncover some of the really great up and coming bands that deserve more recognition.
Who are you excited to see this year? Of the obviously headliners my top bands to see are Beck, The Replacements and Spoon.
If there is a clickable link with the band name, I was able to get in touch with the band and do an interview and it will link to my Q&A's with them. I can't believe the festival will be here in just a few short weeks. It seems like just yesterday I was super excited about the line up being announced.
Most of these bands though are playing at the same time! This is the frustrating thing about festivals and multiple bands playing on multiple stages. I wasn't planning on going to both weekends but I might need to somehow make a way. I'm just posting soundcloud links so this won't be a super long post.
**Edited to remove Kodaline and Hozier. didn't realize they were not on the schedule, although they were still listed on the main page line up.
BENJAMIN BOOKER
In case you haven't heard, this guy is bringing some straight up blues injected rock to the scene, and his debut album is pretty amazing. I am linking his second track from the debut album "Have you Seen My Son?"
BLEACHERS
Jack Anotonoff's side project Bleachers has a really great debut album and I would love to see how the live set comes to life. If you are not familiar but do like the band fun..check them out.
BLUE BEAR
I have to highlight some great Austin talent and Blue Bear is one of them. I am so excited to see their full live set on the stage at ACL. I can't wait for their new album Vacations to come out either. The tracks I have heard so far are pretty amazing.
BROODS
How did I miss this band was playing ACL? I am super excited while compiling my list - these guys are definitely on it.If you haven't been jamming to the track "Bridges" you need to be. I am looking forward to seeing them live and also what this band comes up with in the future.
CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN
If anyone reads my blog, they know that I love UK bands - Catfish and The Bottlemen are definitely one I want to see. I have been following them for a while now and I'm super excited to see them live, who knows when they will be back in the US.
THE CHAIN GANG OF 1974
In terms of indie synthpop bands, this band is great. The Chain Gang of 1974 is headed by Kamtin Mohager, reminds me a bit of M83 . The album Daydream Forever is not one to miss. I am posting my favorite track from the album "Sleepwalking" I would be interested to see how they translates in a live setting. I was bummed I missed them at SXSW.
THE DISTRICTS
These guys are from Lititz, PA and are making some great music with their most recent self titled EP. They are getting some great worldwide buzz and I'm really looking forward to seeing them live as well. They are definitely a great up and coming rock band and one to watch. Check out their track "Lyla". Another great track is Funeral Beds. I'm not surprised they are popular in the UK - when I first listened to them I had automatically thought they were not from the US.
EMPIRES
I wanted to see Empires at South By but it didn't work out. It's cool to see a lot of bands that played the SXSW Festival in March come back to Austin in October for ACL. I feel this band does not get enough recognition.I'm linking their track "How Good Does It Feel" from an EP that came out this year with the same name. This rock band from Chicago is definitely one to watch!
THE HUNTS
This lovely family band (all 7 brothers and sisters!) are playing ACL. For a while there were only a few covers and one original song I could find online, "Make This Leap". They now have an EP out titled Life Was Simple which has 3 original tracks, including "Make This Leap". I'm excited to see what this very talented band of 7 brothers and sisters do in the future.
J. RODDY WALSTON AND THE BUSINESS
If you are looking for some gritty, garage inspired rock, these guys need to be on your list. Some of their tracks are getting some good radio play so you may already be familiar but I have been wanting to see them live for a while.
KONGOS
I have been wanting to see these guys since they were originally announced for South By but didn't end up coming. I was also really surprised they answered a few questions for me being a signed band with a couple of singles in heavy rotation on radio stations so that makes them super cool in my book. I can't wait to see them live.
MINIATURE TIGERS
Miniature Tigers are pretty under rated in my opinion. They have been producing some pretty awesome witty pop for a while now and I'm glad to see they are coming back to ACL. If you are not familiar they just came out with a great album Cruel Runnings and I'm posting my favorite track from the album "Oblivious".
MOATS
Moats is a great band from the UK that actually won the unsigned spot to come to ACL for NME. You know they have to be pretty good to beat out a bunch of other unsigned bands because there are some great UK bands out there that are currently unsigned. Moats have a great sound but I can only currently find a few singles online. I really want to see how they perform live.
MODOC
I am really excited about MODOC. I posted about them a while back and more than likely I will prioritize my 'to see' list based on the bands I actually got to communicate with and do a couple of Q&A's with. This will be a challenging festial because have of the bands I want to see are playing at the same or overlapping times. If you are not familiar with Modoc, Check out their great track "Runnin'" Their debut album is pretty sweet, too.
NIGHT TERRORS OF 1927
I really wanted to see these guys at South By but it didn't work out. They have a great debut album out and I'm excited to check out their live set.
PAOLO NUTINI
Paolo Nutini has such a great voice and some really wonderful songs. He is also from overseas (Scotland) and I can't wait to check out his live set. Very talented with a bit of some R&B and Jazz influences which makes his sound even more cool and worth checking out.
PENNY & SPARROW
Penny & Sparrow is another talented Austin band that I am looking forward to seeing live. With amazing vocals and the diversity to be a full on band or just two guys on stage with a guitar. Their newest EP is definitely worth check out.
REAL ESTATE
This band isn't necessarily new or unknown, but if you haven't heard of them, you need to check them out for sure and add them to your list. I haven't seen them live yet so I'm really looking forward to it. Their album Atlas that came out this year is pretty stellar.
SAINTS OF VALORY
Another great Austin band. My tastes and likes are all over the place and these guys definitely sound polished and to me qualify for that big arena rock sound. I was actually going to see local musician Max Frost last year and I happened upon SOV's live set and I was really impressed. I look forward to seeing what these guys do in the future.
SNOWMINE
I am super excited to see these guys - they are from Brooklyn, NY and are completely self supported by their fans and do not have nor want a label. Their sound is so airy and just awesome and I can listen to their entire Dialects album all the way through. This album is in my top list for 2014 so far so you definitely need to check them out if you like laid back, chill and just great music.
SPANISH GOLD
This band kind of has Texas roots it is actually kind of a super group made up of Guitarist Adrian Quesada, formerly of Groupo Fantasma, Dante Schwebel, previously with Hacienda, and Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket. The trio is making some great psychadelic rock and I'm looking forward to checking out their live set. Their debut album South of Nowhere is pretty great.
TEMPLES
Temples has had really good success in the past year and if you dig 60's inspired rock, you have probably already heard of them. I saw them live at South By this year, but I would totally check them out again, they are great live.
YOUNG AND SICK
A bit of trivia. Young and Sick is made up of Nick Van Hofwegen who is a dutch artist that has done some really great cover art work for multiple artists including Foster The People and Maroon 5. I missed seeing them at South By this year so I'm interested to see how the live set comes out.
This is just a fraction of the great bands playing - of course the headliners are not included because well...everyone knows them. My point of this blog is to uncover some of the really great up and coming bands that deserve more recognition.
Who are you excited to see this year? Of the obviously headliners my top bands to see are Beck, The Replacements and Spoon.
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