The weekly column where we and mention anything we missed in the last week (or longer). It's a lot like those moments when you're out of ketchup, at a fine fast food restaurant, but lack the energy to go and get more; so you scrape away at the dregs on your hamburger wrapper, until all you can see is silver aluminum foil. It's classy, yet unrefined.Last weekend, I caught a plane on Thursday night from DC to Austin, TX. The flight was an interesting one. Everyone aboard appeared to fit into three categories: a college professor, southern frat boy, and bohemian hipster. The college professors stood out based on their corduroy jackets, complete with arm patches, and the rare book that was the only thing they made eye contact with on the flight. From where I sat, the book's title appeared to be I'm Smarter than You. The frat boys could all be picked out before the flight and during it by offering up such poetic phrases as, "No, brah, won't be in Knoxville this weekend. I'm hittin' up ACL. It's gonna be tight. All my boys will be there," from underneath worn out baseball caps. The bohemians sported sheik beards, thick-rimmed glasses, flannel designed shirts, and anything else that made them appear to have deeply studied On the Road or that they might listen to Bob Dylan on vinyl. Personally, I sported a baseball cap, a sheik beard, thick rimmed glasses, and read from a poetry collection that I felt confident very few people have heard of. In fact, it's so rare I won't even mention its name, but it had a rhinoceros on the cover.
I could continue to write this like a chapter in my memoirs, but I'm not sure that would do anyone any good right now; so I'll cut to the chase. The following are the highlights from my ACL experience. It should also be noted that I only attended the first and last days of the festival.
Friday:
Dr. Dog was the first band that grabbed my attention and held it for a whole set. My sister, a friend of hers, and I had just finished seeing the Avett Brothers, who didn't impress me too much. They came off as an old school O.A.R. Anyway, Dr. Dog had me dancing and grooving in the Texas heat at 3:30 in the afternoon, and kept me from realizing that I was getting a little sunburned. When their set ended, I was disappointed. I could have used another half hour or so; their live momentum was still building. If they're ever in a town near you, I would check them out.
K'Naan played one of the smaller stages at ACL, but it was perfect for him. I've always argued that most emcees are benefited by smaller venues. It's just hard for one dude to fill a festival venue with just his lyrics, a mic, and a beat. K'Naan is a performer who can do that. Hearing him live one notices just how musically diverse his music is. The crowd really got into his song "Bang Bang" because it was one of the first singles off his album Troubador, but "Wavin' Flag" and "Somalia" were incredibly moving. He also talked to the crowd more than most artists do at festivals; it was really like we were just hanging out in a basement or someone's living room.
Andrew Bird may have been the most talented musician at ACL. I only caught the last half of his show because I spent the first half checking out Dave Grohl's side project Them Crooked Vultures. What I heard of Bird's set made me wish that I had bypassed seeing Grohl, legend John Paul Jones, and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age). Grohl was awesome to see playing the drums, like Animal from the Muppets, but Bird is as my sister puts it, "one of those rare geniuses that is just intimidating to behold."
Sunday:
Heartless Bastards were by far my favorite discovery of the weekend. Erika Wenerstrom, in her jean shorts and tall cowboy boots, is an incredibly talented performer. The reason might be because she appears as a cross between Tom Petty and Kate Blanchett. I would suggest Blanchett play her in a film, but people would probably think it was just another take on one of Bob Dylan's many lives. This band hails from Ohio, so comparison to The Black Keys are easy to make; but the Heartless Bastards have more of a grace to their sound. I don't know what else to say about them except that their effort on stage was full of sincerity. Buy their album The Mountain now. If you're hesitating on the purchase, then check out their songs "Out to Sea" and "The Mountain" first and go from there.
State Radio pretty much sounds just like Dispatch, which makes sense because Chad Urmston was/is the frontman for both. The only difference is that State Radio takes a more political slant to the frat reggae vibe that Dispatch did so well. The greatest thing about their performance was the unspoken metaphor. A bunch of hippies wallowed in what they thought was mud but was really refined sewage, which somehow ties into the feel good vibe of State Radio's music that's really about what a muddy mess the world is in. Seriously, how many people came away from ACL with hookworm?
Pearl Jam were not only the best performers at the Festival, but they were also the best received. Walking back to our car, I heard several people younger than myself say, "[Pearl Jam's] show blew me away. I didn't realize they had so many good songs." Okay, winning over a bunch of drunk college (or were they in high school) may not mean much, but it should be noted that Pearl Jam's set did not include the hits "Jeremy," "Black," or "Betterman." This show was a testament to this band has always been: a testament to free will. They came out and played what they wanted to play, and the crowd ate it up. After having admitted to staying up with Ben Harper all of Saturday night, Eddie Vedder came onto stage in what appeared to already be a bottle or so of wine into the evening, but he found his legs and wound up wading through the mud and fecal matter just like everyone else at ACL, as he came down off the stage and ran through the crowd during "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World." At different points in the night, Pearl Jam was joined on stage by Ben Harper and Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction.
Band I wish I'd seen: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs (people who saw their set raved about it)
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