One of the best and the worst things about music festivals is that you cannot possibly see every single band that will be playing. But some of the fun is being able to construct your own lineup and get suggestions from or look down upon your friends’ lineups. A few of us in the ovrld crew have crafted our perfect ACL lineups for your perusal here. Click on the schedule thumbnails at the bottom of each section to see exactly how we will be spending our time at the fest. For those of you without superhuman vision, you can expand our schedules by clicking on the top right of each image once it loads up.
Carter’s Dream Schedule
Manu Chao – Photo Credit
This is kind of hard for me since I won’t actually be able to enact any part of my proposed schedule, but it’s also hard not to look at the schedule of a festival and dream. So here we go.
Friday is the day I’d be ready and raring to go, so I’ve got a full day planned. First, I’m looking at Cults at 11:45 since they are pretty chill and seem like a decent way to start the day. Then I’d head on over to Asleep at the Wheel because they are ACL staples (they’ve played every festival). The first band I’d be super excited to see is Reptar. For any of you that read my SXSW recap, you’ll know that Reptar rocked my world at the Driskill hotel. They’re music is upbeat and they are great live performers, so definitely go see them. Delta Spirit and Smith Westerns are both bands I enjoy and could see being impressed with live (especially check out Delta Spirit’s “Trashcan”), but again aren’t bands I’m dying to see. The next one of those is Cold War Kids at 5:10. From “Hang Me Up to Dry” on their debut album, I’ve been a fan of this group and still can’t believe I’ve never seen them live. This will be a good show. Then, back over to see my music-crush Gary Clark Jr. at 6:30, and Pretty Lights at 7:30 before Kanye. Pretty Lights makes great dance music for indie rock fans such as myself (listen here), but I mostly want to be there to be in good position to see Kanye – one of the greatest talents in pop music right now.
Saturday, I would start off with a double shot of local talent: Fresh Millions and Cowboy and Indian on the Austin Ventures stage. Y’all know how we feel about them. At two, I’d head over to see J. Roddy Walston & the Business. Their “Brave Man’s Death” was one of my favorite songs of last year, and I would love to see them in action. Nothing quite strikes my fancy again until Fitz and the Tantrums at 5. I hear that they killed it at SXSW and are an absolute must-see live show. Cut Copy’s album this year remains one of my favorites of the year, and their material seems like it would translate well to the festival vibe, and Chromeo remain one of the most underrated bands around (also, I’ve seen TV on the Radio thrice already). And then, how could I pass up a living legend like Stevie Wonder?
On Sunday, I’d be wiped out from the weekend. There are some bands that interest me early in the day, like Yellow Ostrich or Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr, but the first person I’d love to see is Suzanna Choffel at 2:30. I’ve seen her before but she does a great show, and seeing Austin locals at ACL is pretty cool. After that, I’d head over to Chiddy Bang for some of that playful indie rap he does so well. I’ve been on an Alt-Latin kick recently and Bomba Estereo is one of the best up-and-coming bands in that genre. Being from Colombia, they don’t get up this way often so I’d take advantage of the chance to see them. Elbow would be a great band to see (check out “Grounds for Divorce”), before heading over to that other leading light of Alt-Latin, Manu Chao. I’ve been listening to him heavily for years now, and it would be incredible to see his material live, since he is also a living legend. Then I can’t imagine a more appropriate closer to the weekend than The Arcade Fire.
Dan’s Dream Schedule
Arcade Fire – Photo Credit
This ACL I’m catching up and seeing a lot of bands that I’ve wanted to see perform for like forever. In 2011, the festival brings a flood of supergiants from the pop, rap and indie rock genres to our small town and I’m definitely going to take full advantage of it.
Friday I’m going to be starting my ACL off with Theophilus London. I just saw him perform a couple weeks ago but I am definitely psyched to see him play another set. HIs groovin’ band and smooth raps will surely not disappoint. Next up, I’m hitting Wild Beasts to hear some glimmering indie pop and hear some fans hit their falsettos. Although I haven’t fully embraced his latest release, I’m definitely going to check out the Pitchfork darling James Blake. Kurt Vile and The Violators are up next for me so I can ring in the afternoon with some dreamy guitar work. Check out Freak Train for a sample of his sound. I’ve seen Bright Eyes a few times but haven’t seen them perform songs from The People’s Key which I am digging. Pretty Lights is next for some danceable jams before what I am sure will be an epic performance from Kanye West.
Saturday, I’m actually ditching the fest partially because I don’t have a Saturday ticket but mostly because Ditch The Fest Fest 2 is going to be awesome. But I’ll save some of that for another post tomorrow about the ACL alternative.
Sunday, I’ll be hitting ACL in full force and will be starting it off with Mariachi El Bronx who’s fusion of punk and mariachi is infectious. Listen to a sample here. I’ve been wanting to check out The Head and the Heart and their folky pop and the ACL gods have finally heard my prayers. I missed Suzanna Choffel at Blues on the Green but am definitely making it a point to see her at ACL despite the fact that “Raindrops” will surely be stuck in my head for hours if not days. The rest of ACL, I’m sticking to the Google + and Bud Light Stages and catching Chiddy Bang, Broken Social Scene, Elbow, Fleet Foxes, Empire of the Sun and Arcade Fire in quick succession. I think I am most excited about Fleet Foxes and Arcade Fire who I have never had the pleasure of seeing perform. I am also definitely psyched to see Broken Social Scene before their hiatus in October.
Brittany’s Dream Schedule
Iron and Wine – Photo Credit
For me, this year’s ACL is all about two things: re-seeing a ton of bands, rappers and singer-songwriters that I love and have seen perform live just within the past year (Theophilus London, Smith Westerns, The Head and the Heart, Gillian Welch, Kanye West and Fleet Foxes to name a few), and seeing a heap of ACL-worthy local talent such as Cowboy and Indian, Fresh Millions, Asleep at the Wheel (who were a ton of fun to see at my first ACL last year) and Suzanna Choffel. I am also incredibly excited, despite the bucolic and relatively reserved nature of the band’s music, to be seeing Iron and Wine live for the first time, intimate setting be damned. I’ve also never experienced the live grandeur of My Morning Jacket, so Saturday will definitely be one for my concert record books. Finally, though I had the chance to see Arcade Fire at the Backyard only a few short months ago, having the opportunity to experience the sounds of “The Suburbs” live once more will undoubtedly be a rare treat. See some of my schedule below, including a stop at the Austin Kiddie Limits stage to check out my 21-month-old buddy Nora’s favorite Pacific Northwest children’s band, Recess Monkey!
Those are our picks, let us know which one of ours you like the best in the comments or shoot us an email with a screenshot of your schedule. We’ll post it up here for the world to praise.
-The ovrld crew