The most anticipated festival of the year for me had finally arrived, and as the day presented to opportunity to see a few acts that I hadn’t been witness to as of yet, the main interest for me today lay in one of the last acts of the day, The National. More on that later.

A pick of mine for the festival took the tiny, tucked away in the corner, stage 2 early in the day. El Paso Hot Button, who I have seen several times before, seemed a bit out of his element. Keep in mind that EPHB is one man, one man named Mickey Reece. The dynamics of the one-man band seemed a bit lost in the bright early afternoon sun, on the not-so intimate stage. One of the attractions of the EPHB show is the manner in which Reece builds the intensity of the set as it moves along with the music and the addition of lights, smoke, and effects. Not possible to do so in this setting. I’ll catch you next time, after dark my friend.

Octopus Project

The 4 o’clock slot for local electronic act The Octopus Project found the band playing to a large crowd in the arbor friendly stage 4. The woods-like environment seemingly appropriate for the collection of familiar stage creatures that the band employs in their shows. While being only stage props in the past, the creatures came to life towards the end of the bands set, dancing along to the electronic Roo! happiness the band so creatively crafts, much to the audience’s delight. Although a somewhat well known act around town, the increasing size of their audiences at the last two of their Austin festival performances leads one to believe that the Octopus Project is one of this town’s most well received exports.

Trail of Dead

Austin’s And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead…..set out to reclaim the love and admiration of the local rock fans while setting the stage for the release of a new full length recording to be released on the band’s own label, Richter Scale Records. While the band has reigned in the stage antics that were the talk of fans in the richer days, the musical performance still maintains it’s punk intensity with prog-rock like song structure. Possibly a bit hesitant to get too much into newer material the band seemed to rely on older fan favorites like “Will You Smile Again” and “Relative Ways” to keep the crowd into the set. I can’t claim to be the biggest of fans, but think that I can speak for many in saying that, I would love nothing more for the band to make a rise back into the consciousness of the modern music fans.

Trail of Dead

Deerhoof and Magnetic Morning were a couple of bands that I had no familiarity with, and were pleasant enough for what I experienced. I would say that the reaction to the Deerhoof performance was one expected to be reserved for a headlining act.  Dan Deacon’s traditional set-up being in front of the stage made engaging his performance difficult for the casual fan.

Magnetic Morning

Deerhoof

I was never much a fan of the Dead Milkmen to begin with, so the idea of a reunion just didn’t appeal to me. That, and The National were playing at the same time.

Being such a fan of The National, I sadly say that I have only seen the band perform once before, and it was as I had expected and wished. A performance that complimented the recorded songs that I have become so familiar with and attached to, while bringing them to a 3-dimensional life. Ever since I laid hands on Alligator, I have been swept away in the baritone soaked, boozy, poetic, urban stories of the band. Saturday’s performance was a bit different than expected, but in a delightfully different way.

The band took awhile to get the set started, and once they did, it was obvious that set out to fit in as much as they possibly could before the pending sound ordinance hour forced a silence. Hastily, but still effective, the band made it’s way through the set, obviously taking a loose approach to the performance. A bit intoxicated you might say was the mood of the band, which found it’s way into the audience, including this guy, who found himself the company of new friends sharing sips off a flask of bourbon. Smiles all around as each song finished, and as vocalist Matt Berninger readied himself for another song while threatening to take out each band member with enthusiastic swaggering. “Mr. November” appropriately closed out the set, and as the hope of a song that means a bit more to some of us than others, the understanding that the opportunity to hear new material from The National, much less see them live, will have to wait. It’s a sad realization in an exciting time. The band finds itself breaking away from the existence it’s known for the last year and a half, to regroup and craft for us something new. The last performance for awhile.

I finish up the evening with the Fun Fun Fun Fest afterparty at the Mohawk with my good friends, and amazing band, Dead Confederate. Sorry guys, but you have to follow The National.

A First Timer at ACL:

While I am from Texas, I haven’t been living in Austin for very long. So of course, I was excited about the prospect of going to City Limits when I moved here back in August.

It was three days of sun, sweat, Sweet Leaf Tea and of course, some pretty amazing music. The majority of my ACL picks managed to deliver, and pleasantly surprised by a few other bands as well. So here’s a bit of a recap of my weekend:

Day 1:

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in terms of performances, as well as crowd size and what can only be described as a sea of flags.

The most surprising performance of the day was Vampire Weekend. I tend to steer away from bands that are surrounded by so much hype but I found their music to be pretty decent, along with their show. I thought they held their own and it did make me want some of their music.

The lackluster performance of the day award goes to Hot Chip. While I’ve always liked some of their brand of techno indie beats, I simply wasn’t impressed. Also, they closed their set with a cover of Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”, which was a little strange and that not well done. I’m sure somewhere that day, Sinéad was ripping a picture of Alexis Taylor.

Best performance of the day, hands down, was Gogol Bordello. I’ve heard stories of how ridiculously amazing they can be live, and I wasn’t disappointed. Not a lot of bands can pull of a crazy, eclectic mix of international hardcore punk, complete with violin and accordion. They never lacked energy and their performance was a non-stop riot. Had I been closer to the stage, I’m sure I would have been caught up in the throws of a rather large mosh pit.

Day 2:

Another hot day, fortunately with brief periods of relief due to the clouds. This is also the day I realized that I owed my hydration (possibly my life) to Pomegranate Green Tea.

Surprisingly good today was The Fratellis. I’m going to be honest and say that I’m not incredibly familiar with their music past their singles but it seemed like a good enough bet early in the day and I was pleasantly surprised. The music was good, as was the energy. Unfortunately, I couldn’t understand a word their leader singer was saying when he attempted to interact with the crowd. This was mostly likely due to his ridiculous Scottish accent and the fact that he was probably incredibly hung-over.

Today’s disappointment was Beck. I didn’t know what to expect and apparently, you shouldn’t expect too much from the likes of the music world’s first andryonyous indie kids. (Side note: Does anyone else think this guy is immortal? He looked the same way he does now when I was 10.) Somehow he managed to squeeze in his well-known hits before walking off the stage 20 minutes before his set actually ended. Thinking there would be an encore, I imagine those who had fought their way to the front were disappointed to see roadies come out and immediately take things down. Not cool, Beck. Not cool.

Best band of the day: MGMT, surprisingly enough. Another hyped band that I had little to no expectations of, another relatively good performance. The crowd that I was surrounded by was rather ridiculous, and I guess for good reason. Points to MGMT for pulling off a pretty good live show.

Day 3:

Surprisingly good: The Kills. I didn’t have much to go on other than a good friend’s single-minded adoration of their music and performances, so I tried to be open-minded. Other than Allison Mosshart’s adversion to the sun (and unfortunately, they played on the hottest of all three days), I really like their gritty take on indie rock. Consider me a fan.

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Rather lackluster was Silversun Pickups. Maybe their vocalist is subdued on their records (which I rather like), but there’s something about his voice that is so high and grating live that it sounds like he’s about to bust a vocal cord. Yet another band that probably isn’t meant to be enjoyed live. Oh well.

For me personally, I have a first and second place for best band(s) of the day. 2^nd place goes to Stars, who thankfully did not disappoint me and made the most of their hour-long set. They never slowed down too much and jokingly acknowledged that Against Me!, who had the same time slot as they did on the Dell stage, sounded like a much more energetic show. But they played a nice mix of old and new; it was nice also to be showered with water and rose petals between songs.

1^st place of course, goes to The Foo. Say what you will about mainstream rock, but I’ve seen The Foo Fighters live before and I only wish I was as cool as Dave Grohl. And for such a big name band, I wish others would follow his example and have that much passion about putting on a good show. Between my favorite songs and the best triangle solo anyone will ever hear, I was glad that I ended ACL on such a high note.

It’s been one whole week since Austin’s Zilker Park was hosting one of the more popular music festivals in North America, bringing both legendary performers of many genres as well as some of the most hyped bands of the year to music fans from around the country. As this week has passed, I’ve found myself evaluating the festival, the current music scene, as well as my feelings on festivals in general.

When people asked me previous to the festival, if I was excited about the festival, I of course replied with a yes, but when asked who I was the most excited about seeing, I couldn’t really muster up much excitment about any one particular band. Sure there were bands that I was looking forward to seeing, most of which I have already seen on multiple occasions, and a few that I had not, but no one artist stood out. With that being said, my thoughts on ACL 2008.

Friday:

I can’t help but to be excited about the festival on day one, if just for the simple fact that it’s three days of music possibilities, and I don’t have to work my regular job for a few days.

As I make my way into the park, I can’t help but noticed that there is already quite the crowd gathered by 1:00 when I arrive, which I have found not to be the case in years past. Good for the festival itself, because people = $$. It could be for the fact that one of the year’s biggest buzz bands Vampire Weekend, has a 3:00 spot on one of the headliner stages.

Yeasayer draws a much larger than anticipated crowd during their 1:30 set, on the Dell Stage. The band is always solid live bringing their unique blend of world music ala indie rock to a level that compliments the recorded material well. They somehow manage to escape the pitfall of sound issues that plaque the stage much throughout the weekend.

I decide to give Vampire Weekend another shot at proving to me why they are on the lips of many, as well as on the cover of many a music mag, and once again I fail to get the appeal. The large crowd consisting of many a young female fan, who vocalize their love for the band in unison shrill, seem satisfied with the performance. Myself, the aging indie rock fan, walk away thinking that there are at least a half a dozen bands in this town more talented and more exciting to watch on stage, they just don’t have the right haircuts or sense of style.

The one artist that I was really excited to see, M. Ward, eluded me. Eluded me, for the simple fact that there were so many people in the WAMU tent when I arrived my only option was try to watch from the side of the stage outside of the tent. If the sounds of Gogol Bordello from across the park weren’t carrying so far, it might have been doable, but the delicate lo-fi sounds of M. Ward were no match.

Running into a friend and his 3 youngsters, who were also trying to see M. Ward, we convinced the kids to go watch rock-n-roll pirates, referring to the band that call themselves Gogol Bordello. What rock band is better suited to entertain kids better than the Gogol Bordello? Maybe the Flaming Lips, as long as they keep it a bit more kid friendly than their Sasquatch performance?

The end of the day left me with a decision to make between two artists, both of which had not seen before, Mars Volta and Manu Chao. Mars Volta started a bit earlier so I decided to give them a chance to prove why they have such a diehard fan base. The band came out looking good, looking like rock stars, and launched into their first song, which I couldn’t tell you the name of, and proceeded to put on an energetic tight performance. As I watched guitarist Omar Rodriguez -Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler – Zavala perform, thoughts of what it was like to see Page and Plant perform together in their early years, and what if Mars Volta existed at the same time? My thoughts began to drift because the first song began to drift….drift into minutes of drum solo, guitar solo, a saxophone solo, and a lot of shaking, dancing, and acrobatics by Cedric with no end in site. Manu Chao it is!

It’s easy to see why Manu Chao has such a worldwide appeal. He delivers a latin influenced style of rock with a passion sometimes politically charged, full of enthusiasm, and completely genuine.

I left day one somewhat disappointed in what I had experienced musically at the festival, content with the friend connections that I had made that day, and looking forward to a late night set by Dead Confederate @ Emo’s in hopes that they might restore my faith in rock-n-roll.

Saturday:

Saturday began with an uplifting set by Fleet Foxes. Another buzz band for sure, but worthy of the buzz for many a reason. The bands laid back casual set, complete with informal banter from the band, was perfectly accompanied by the warm mid-day sun and slight breeze that sifted through the crowd of early birds. Obviously feeling a bit out of their element, the band constantly insisted that they weren’t a festival band while lead vocalist Robin Pecknold commented that he didn’t know how to communicate with a crowd on this level. He also took a moment to give a shout out to local vegan restaurant Casa de Luz, claiming it to be his favorite restaurant in America. Whether or not the band prefers to be on the big festival stage, their one hour set sounded amazing and seemed to please everyone in the crowd to no end. This was the perfect highlight of the day, which would once again leave me feeling a bit shorted on the music experience overall.

The rest of the afternoon, I caught several more acts most of them chosen because of the fact that the south end of the park which housed the stage for CSS and MGMT was completely packed, and I honestly didn’t feel it necessary to attempt to work my way through the mess of people.

Drive By Truckers sounded great, and reminded me to revisit the recorded material that I have so quickly forgotten that I really do enjoy.

Connor Oberst’s set felt more Americana/Folk than indie rock darling, which was fine, but the smallish crowd for the big main stage, seemed to confirm the theory that some Texans still hold a grudge. The boo’s during the introduction of M. Ward, when the reminder of the Connor Oberst, M. Ward, Jenny Lewis aftershow was mentioned, also supports this theory.

The afternoon slowed a bit on the musical front as I ran into 4/5 of The Black Angels and opted for hanging out and conversing about the band’s experience recording with Roky Erikson and thoughts on the future live dates with the Austin psych-rock legend. As Roky’s set was about 20 min away, Black Angel guitarist Christian Bland pointed the amazing view of the sunset that we had from where we were standing, forcing me to take in the moment that almost slipped by unnoticed.

As Roky took the stage and played through the first few songs of the set, he looked well, he seemed more together and alert than what I had in my mind. The image of the man living on the edge of his own sanity, has been replaced by an artist who seems fit to continue on with the journey that he began many years ago. The wait for to hear the recorded material being produced by Roky and The Black Angels will be a long one, even if I were to hear it tomorrow.

Beck finished out the day with was one of the most uninspired sets I have seen from him. He played all the hits, moving about minimally on stage as if the less he energy he spends on entertaining the crowd the sooner the end of the set would arrive. Obviously he couldn’t wait until the scheduled 10 pm ending time, and left the stage 20 minutes early, not to return.

Sunday:

As the final day of the festival gets underway, I leave my schedule pretty much open in hopes of through the course of bouncing around, I might come across something that unfamiliar that might completely catch me off guard.

The 1:30 afternoon spot for The Kills seemed a bit unwelcomed by the band, especially vocalist Allison Mosshart, who hid behind her hat, constantly sliding away from the sun to hide in the shadows, pacing like some caged animal.

Always a fan of an Against Me! show, I found it hard to concentrate and enjoy their set, with the poor sound coming from the Dell Stage. I will admit that the sound did improve later in the set, but by then I had lost interest, and had decided to make my way to the larger AT&T stage to watch Silversun Pickups. I caught the band for the first time @ SXSW 2006 and they were incredible to watch live on the smaller stage, and I quickly became a fan of the band that week. In the two years since I first caught the band live, they have done little to continue to maintain my interest. The few shows that I have seen since, haven’t compared to the shows that I experienced in 2006, and the band has yet to release any new material. Word is that the band is working on a new album, but I get the sense that maybe the creative juices might not be flowing as the band might want. Oh yeah, the band’s performance @ ACL…absolut pits.

Thanks to the Silversun Pickups and their performance, I made my way over to watch Colour Revolt a bit earlier than I had planned. The only performance I caught on the small BMI Stage, and quite possibly my favorite performance of the festival. I know, a bold statement considering what all took place that weekend, but I’ve been a fan of these guys since the beginning of the year, and every time I see them, I love them even more. Dense guitar sounds, with complex arrangements, wrapped around Jesse Coppenbarger’s intense lyrics and vocal delivery. I can’t say enough about this band.

After the performance of Colour Revolt, I felt satisfaction. Satisfaction in finding that time in which I found myself wrapped up in a performance, enjoying every note, every lyric, and every crashing cymbal. I was pretty much done for the day. Of course, I would spin around the festival a few more times, and see if I could get a glimpse of a few more acts. Band of Horses sounded great on the previously sound riddled Dell Stage and their performance seemed more inspired and engaging than what I saw the night before @ The Parish. I made a weak attempt to see what The Foo Fighters were doing to prove their spot, but all I really got was the glow from the main stage with the sounds of the Foo closing out ACL 2008. I’m sure that their ACL taping on Monday night will be of more interest anyway.

Reading this, one might get the idea that I’ve become a jaded music fan, who has become more critical than openminded over the years, and to some degree you might be correct. I would be the first to admit that after this year’s festival, I felt a bit of frustration, and harbored a dislike for the experience as a whole. I hated the crowds, the sound on most of the stages was flawed at times to the point of being unacceptable, some of the performers put on lackluster if even pathetic performances. Over the next week I thought seriously about how I felt, and came to a bit of a realization. I’ve had amazing experiences at festivals over the years, most previous to starting the blog, and looking back at them and understanding those experiences, I realized that most attendees of this year’s festival probably had the time of their life. They met friends that they hadn’t seen for awhile, drank a few beers, shared laughs, made new friends, and saw some bands and performances that left an impact on them. And all weekend long they had access to great festival food, enjoyed a festival environment with short beer lines (you have to know where to go), and an environment with all the modern conveniences if you needed (charge your cell phone, check your e-mail).

So, don’t take my words as any indication that this year’s ACL Festival was a bad experience, take it as a view of someone who sometimes becomes so immersed in the music and analyzing every little detail, that he failed to see the experience as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of great moments over the weekend, but my intitial reaction was negative. I digress. I look forward to what ACL 2009 has in store for all of us.

If you made it all the way through this lengthy post, I applaud you.

Band of Horses played the Parish on Saturday night to celebrate the launch of the new online music site Blurt, and to raise money for the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians Foundation. HAAM is a local non-profit that provides low cost health care for working Austin musicians. Great idea, great foundation, and Austin musicians are lucky to have them around.

Not only was it a pleasure to see Band of Horses @ the Parish playing for an enthusiastic crowd raising money for a great foundation, but I got to shake Bill Murray’s hand. I’m not one for being too interested in celebrities, but it was Bill Murray!

photos : valerie@fremin.net

Band of Horses play the Dell Stage @ 7:30 Sunday @ ACL.

photo : michael maly

As the dust settles in Zilker park (and my lungs) on day one of ACL 2008, I leave the most enjoyable set of the day, being performed by Manu Chao, a bit early to make sure that I make it to Emo’s to catch that band from Athen’s GA, Dead Confederate. For anyone that visits this site on any regular basis or who knows me in person, you know I’m a big fan of these guys, both as musicians and as people. They’re good folk, and they make some damn fine rock.

Two songs into the set, I realized why I like this band as much as I do…they put on one of the best rock shows around right now. Bold statement, I know, but I stand by my words.

Dead Confederate rumbled, growled, and screamed their way through a haze covered set that converted any doubter or newcomer into a believer of the DC. The band covered some of the best territory from their full length debut Wrecking Ball, including “Yer Circus”, “All the Angels”, and “Start Me Laughing”. Even the more listener friendly “The Rat” which I’ve listen to more times than I dare admit since it first surfaced on the band’s EP sounded as great as the first time I heard the song.

Wrecking Ball just hit shelves on September 16th and the band is currently on the road well into the end of November, finding them all across the U.S. States. They make a visit with Conan O’Brien on Oct 10th.

Tour dates @ Dead Confederate Myspace

MP3> Dead Confederate ‘It Was A Rose’

The Swell Season is the name of a 1975 novel written by Czech author Josef Skovrecky.

It is also the name of an album recorded in 2006 by Glen Hansard (also of The Frames) and Marketa Irglova, a classically trained Czech musician.

Now, it is the name the duo often use when performing together since the release of a film called ‘Once”, which they both starred in.

Did I mention they also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song?

Naturally since then, the duo has gone on to play prominent gigs like Coachella and Bonnaroo, along with their own extensive tour. After ACL, they’ll be playing a handful of shows with Iron and Wine.

Hansard and Irglova both share vocal and songwriting duties, with Hansard on acoustic guitar and Irglova on piano. The combination creates wonderfully melodic indie rock. Every song I have by them, from both the film and from their album, is worth listening to.

I have yet to see them in concert, but I’ve only ever heard positive comments about their live performances. You’ll definitely find me at the AT&T Blue Room on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

MP3> The Swell Season ‘Falling Slowly’

Another young band from the south that’s doing their part to keep rock-n-roll alive, Colour Revolt have been a favorite of mine for a good part of the year. Armed with 3 guitars and Jesse Coppenbarger’s intense, often despair riddled, and constantly questioning lyrics, this band deserves many an attention. Complex arrangements, which some compare to math rock, require a committed listen to understand the quality and depth of the material.

The band signed to Fat Possum Records after releasing their self-titled EP, and released their full length debut Plunder, Beg, and Curse earlier this year. Putting off much touring until the band members could finish up their college commitment, summer finds the band both scholastic graduates and freshman in the music world. Put on your serious face and prepare to be bludgeoned by the music of Colour Revolt.

Colour Revolt play the BMI Stage on Sunday @ 4:40

MP3> Colour Revolt ‘Moses Of The South’

Although not playing the ACL Festival, Athen’s Dead Confederate find themselves playing and official ACL aftershow on Friday night with another favorite band of mine, Heartless Bastards. Dead Confederate haven’t been back in Austin since their SXSW 2008 debut that found the band opening for another Athen’s, G.A. band @ Stubbs, R.E.M. Pretty decent company to find yourself in, early in your career, with only an EP to show for your work.

Since then, the band has been readying the Mike McCarty produced debut full length Wrecking Ball which just hit shelves September 16th. The recording is dark, it’s heavy and intense, and although the band wears it’s influences on it’s sleeve, it’s on of the most powerful rock records to be released in awhile. Faith in serious guitar driven rock wrapped around lyrical angst, personal protest, and dark imagery has been restored.

I’m confident in saying that the live show won’t disappoint for those who aren’t afraid of a little  heavy rock that is a bit psychedelic at times. I’ve seen them a few times, and this is one of the more highly anticipated shows of the weekend.

Heartless Bastards w/Dead Confederate and Wax Fang @ Emo’s Inside 9.26 Doors @ 10  Tickets

MP3> Dead Confederate ‘The Rat’

RSVP Here: ACL 2008 Kick Off Party

It’s open to the public and it’s FREE! I know you people like FREE!

I’m not going to reveal the details.

I’m going to speculate that a majority of the bloggers out there putting out recommendations for this year’s ACL Festival are picking this band, Fleet Foxes . They are recommending for good reason.  I held off on getting on-board with the Fleet Foxes for a few months, only to find myself completely engrossed with the amazing melodies, song structure, and harmonies of this extremely talented group. In this current state of the music industry when “buzz” bands go from virtually unknowns to indie rock celebs, most really fail to deliver on promises made by the “buzz” makers. Fleet Foxes aren’t that band. Their “buzz” is the real deal and they deliver.

This band has released what could be my two favorite recordings of this year, the self-titled full length on Sub Pop Records and the equally impressive EP Sun Giant. The band was a late addition to the festival and unfortunately has an early time slot that will inevitably evade most folks. I can guarantee that the presence of the Fleet Foxes will be felt many times over in the coming year and festival slots will be geared more to the bands advantage. How the beautifully delicate structure of the band’s music will translate on the large stage early in the day is yet to be determined, but missing out on the opportunity to see this band on it’s rise shouldn’t be an option.

Fleet Foxes play the AMD Stage @ 12:30 on Saturday the 27th.

MP3> Fleet Foxes ‘Mykonos‘ Sun Giant EP

MP3> Fleet Foxes ‘Ragged Wood’

In standard tradition, I suggest artists that I think are good picks for checking out at this year’s ACL Festival in hopes that you might discover something that you might not known about.  Quite honestly, I have some holes in my schedule this year.  Not that there aren’t plenty of great opportunities, but instead of investing time with artists that I may have already seen this year and weren’t super impressed with, even though they might be the “buzz” band of the moment, I’m leaving time available for discovery. Some people think that being a music blogger means that I know everything about every band, which really isn’t the case. I do know a few bands, but there are many more that I don’t know anything about. I’m always open to suggestions, and I hope that you might provide me with some. Who do you think I should see this year at ACL? I hope that someone out there reads this and takes the time to post a comment. Tell me which band you are excited about and why I should make time to check out this band. I have the time and am listening.

It almost goes without saying that “Lazy Eye” was one of many summer anthems last year. At this point, it’s probably already been used in several commercials for various products. But there’s a lot more to the Silversun Pickups than that one song.

Slowly but surely, the L.A. quartet has started to rise among the indie ranks.
Their often gritty, grunge-like sound ultimately makes me nostalgic for old school alternative bands like the Smashing Pumpkins (circa Mellon Collie). Yet there still is a certain quality to singer Brian Aubert’s vocals that are (refreshingly) different.

Having already opened for the likes of Wolfmother and the Kaiser Chiefs, as well as played Coachella last year, Silversun Pickups will be a band worth seeing on Sunday at 4:30 on the AT&T stage.

MP3> Silversun Pickups ‘Lazy Eye’

MP3> Silversun Pickups ‘Three Seed’ Live @ Emos

Every time I revisit M. Ward‘s recording Post-War, I’m reminded of how much I really enjoy the talent of his songwriting, and promise to myself to invest more into his work. A promise that I have yet to fulfill, but will rectify this week in preparation for his performance at this year’s ACL Festival. As I write this, I find myself getting more excited about seeing Ward for the first time.

If you aren’t familiar with Ward’s work, surely you are familiar with a few of the many artists that he has been involved with over the years. The most recent project has him paired up with Zooey Deschanel recording under the band name She and Him, and previous collaborators include (and not limited to) My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst, Beth Orton, Cat Power, and Jenny Lewis, just to name a few. Ward performed with Jim James during this year’s SXSW Festival, which is yet another performance I kick myself for missing.

While finding himself in good company amongst some of the most talented modern day songwriters, Ward’s style feels and sounds more classic. From a time when radio brought fans the music, vinyl was the form, and digital was a futuristic idea not even being considered by the most inventive. It’s no surprise that Ward’s favorite piece of musical equipment, aside from his guitar one would believe, is a TASCAM 4-Track recorder on which he uses for every song that he writes.

M. Ward plays the WAMU stage @ 4:30 Friday the 26th. You should really be there.

MP3> M. Ward ‘Poison Cup’

MP3> M. Ward ‘Chinese Translation’

I know that there are going to be some seriously dissapointed folks out there when they hear this news. Erykah Badu has cancelled her Friday Austin City Limits taping for the popular show, and has been replaced by The Drive By Truckers. She is still scheduled to perform at the Festival on Saturday the 27th at this point.

A time for the taping hasn’t been determined yet, as The Truckers are also scheduled to play that night @ Emo’s for one of the official ACL Aftershows.

More ACL tapings scheduled for that weekend:

Saturday, September 27 – Gnarls Barkley
Sunday, September 28 – The Swell Season
Monday, September 29 – Foo Fighters