Friendly public service announcement before we dive into the weekend’s jams – today is your LAST day to automatically enter out sweepstakes for a trip to this year’s Austin City Limits Festival. Simply donate $25 or more to KCRW by midnight tonight (kcrw.com/join), and you’ll be in the running to win this very cool trip. ACL is one of my favorite fests – they don’t call Austin the Live Music Capital for nothing – this year’s lineup is heavily loaded with KCRW favs Gorillaz, Chance the Rapper, Benjamin Booker (watch his recent MBE set here), and Austin’s own Spoon to name but a few; plus most of the bands play smaller shows at night giving off a more low key/manageable SXSW vibe. Often these shows feature support from great local bands so your chances for music discovery during this weekend will be endless.
That said, allow me to share with you some tasty tunes from a few of the artists playing the fest that may not quite be on your radar yet, but definitely should be.
Nick Hakim – “Roller Skates”
Nick Hakim’s debut album Green Twins has all but cemented it’s place in my year end Top Ten list, and “Roller Skates” is easily my favorite track. It’s dreamy, cosmic-soul vibes will make you wish that this kind of music had existed for ‘Couple’s Skates’ at your hometown roller rink. Check out Hakim’s recent performance on Morning Becomes Eclectic for a taste of what to expect when he takes the stage at ACL.
Day Wave – “Something Here”
Day Wave make the kind of jangly, propulsive tunes that are my personal catnip, and this relatively new one is no exception. Also, when I caught their set at the Santa Monica Pier last year they played their cover of Joy Division/New Order’s “Ceremony.” The chance of that happening at ACL is reason enough to show up for their set.
Deap Vally – “Smile More”
Deap Vally are a girl rock duo based right here in Los Angeles who clearly have taken the best ideas from their Riot Grrrl forebears and run with them. The album they released last year is called Femejism, and at one point during this particular song, lead singer Lindsay Troy goes so far as to sing the line “Yes, I am a feminist.” Overall though, this song is a rollicking rebuke of that ever so charming line referenced in the song title that every woman has heard at some point in her life.
(Nick Hakim photo: Davis Bell)