On Monday we told you where to park, what to drink/eat and how to survive, but now there are more pro tips from our resident music buffs on who to see.
We’ve got Bill Bayne (Creative Director and member of The Cold Irons), Reagan Ward (Copywriter), Elizabeth Thompson (UX Strategy Director) and myself to give you some insight.
BAYNE:
Before you ask me who you should see at ACL 2012, I thought I’d ask you some questions first:
Do you like Telecasters? Kenny Vaughn Trio
Do you like banjos? The Avett Brothers
Do you like sad tales of old Alabam’? Patterson Hood
Do you like drums? The Roots
Do you like ukeleles? LP
Do you like hackey sacks? Umphrey’s Mcgee
Do you like mandolins? Punch Brothers
Do you like power trios? The Whigs
Do you like songs? Steve Earle
WARD:
Two Door Cinema Club is fronted by an adorable ginge, so if you need more convincing than that, I don’t even know what to tell you. They’re also a super fun show with lots of energy. Childish Gambino hustles and if you ever want to see a mid-twenties white girl rap an entire song, I can do that to you to “Freaks and Geeks.” If you want to catch someone who is about to EXPLODE, Gary Clark Jr. has been around the Austin scene for a long time, but has been recently noticed by ?uestlove, so it won’t be long before he’s all over the place. Also, if we’re throwing back to my SXSW blog post, Father John Misty is returning. I’d watch him play any time.
THOMPSON:
Ben Howard was a SXSW darling and I can’t wait to see him again-he’s an amazing lyricist and has a soulful voice that’s being compared to Damien Rice and David Grey. I think he’s better than both, which is high praise coming from me.
The Eastern Sea is an ambitious choice as the early slot on Sunday but every time they come across the ACL 2012 Spotify lists, I stop to see who it is and note that I have to see them.
Florence has had my number for a long time and I’ve never seen her so she’s pretty high on my list.
HAZAN:
Don’t miss all of these guys, along with my newest interest – Alt-J. They are so good even Mumford & Sons covers them. Check ‘em out here:
Who’d we forget? Comment below and have fun at the festival.
