ACL 2009 Preview: Sunday (Day Three)

Forgive me if this preview's brief. Okay, so I'm writing this one up after two pretty long days of music. My ears are a bit jingly and my knees ache. Rachel has gotten a wee bit of the sunburn. This after a long week that started with my car engine dying on the way to work on Monday. The sacrifices we make. We still think it's worth it.

I do need to move on to the business of writing up some reviews and thoughts and uploading photographs. But this one might be a bit abbreviated.

Day Two Update: Raveonette's forced to cancel due to being stranded in Copenhagen and apparently it's Oprah's fault. Figures.

Day Three

Apparently there's a pretty good chance that the weather will get dicey today.


Source: http://www.weather.com/.
Today's forecast

So we'll bring along some rain gear and see what happens.

12:30-1:15

Locals Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears put on a raucous set of raw funk at last year's festival. He's spent some time working on honing his band's southern funk chops. They've been slowly on the rise since, grabbing an opening slot on opening night of the SpoonX3 festival, which we largely missed due to a planning glitch. They just did their first performance on national TV on the 9/21 episode of Late Night with Craig Ferguson, where they apparently killed on "Sugarfoot." I'm hoping we can make it.


Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears - Sugarfoot (live on Late Night with Craig Ferguson)

1:15-2:00

Here We Go Magic is basically the musical brainchild of Salem, Massachusetts-born Luke Temple. His songs have a rootsy feel that evokes Simon & Garfunkle while still sounding fresh. You never feel like things are gonna get too baroque.

Download an MP3 of Here We Go Magic's tunnelvision Tunnelvision

They're up against Rodriguez, one of these great musical survivors who's been around for years but has been able to develop little more than a cult audience in the States, despite finding mainstream success in other parts of the world. Rodriguez, born in Detroit to Mexican parents in 1942, has always been a voice for the the inner city poor. His 1970 album tCold Fact was described by Pitchfork's Joe Tangari as "one of those rare lost albums that turns out to be a genuine classic." Tangeri describes the album as "a patchwork of folk, psychedelic rock, and pop production, built around a workman-like voice and simple melodies." At this point, I'm leaning toward this, but we'll be going with a group today, so we'll see how the day shakes out.


Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision


Rodriguez - Sugar Man (live)

2:00-3:00

Speaking of musical survivors, the B-52s are here this year. They're appearing much earlier in the day than they might have if this festival was taking place in the early 80s or early 90s, when they could have grabbed a top slot at this sort of event. Their last album, 2008's Funplex, pulled in mixed but mostly decent reviews. Now with that album having been out for a while and eight albums in their catalog, they'll probably play a set of their best songs from their long career. I imagine that their bouncy sound would benefit from a sunny backdrop, so let's the skies clear a bit by early afternoon.

4:00-5:00

We've seen Arctic Monkeys twice now, including at an earlier ACL appearance. While we're not familiar with their latest songs, it's safe to expect some fast punkish rock and some slower, more mod-styled tunes.

5:00-6:00

Dirty Projectors has been getting lots of buzz lately. The latest album Bitte Orca got much love from Pitchfork, going into rare 9+ territory. How often do you hear a guitarist's style described as "King Sunny Ade-meets-Jimmy Page guitar acrobatics?" I hear that stylistically they cover a broad range, which I tend to find intriguing. Right now they're a more likely destination than Cambridge, MA electronic group Passion Pit. They also overlap with Rebirth Brass Band (5:30-6:30), who I've loved since I was in college. They play an updated twist on classic New Orleans brass band music. Perfectly suited for the tent.


Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move


Rebirth Brass Band - Do Watcha Wanna (in the French Quarter)

6:00-7:00

Jack White is a busy man. When he's not busy fronting The iconic White Stripes or getting his classic power-pop/rock thing on as co-leader of The Raconteurs, when he's not producing other acts or showing up in Jim Jarmusch short films playing with a Tesla coil, Jack White can also now be found behind the skins of new project The Dead Weather. The band also features Alison Mosshart of The Kills. This one should draw a big crowd.


The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother

7:00-8:00

Michael Franti's style of hip-hop reflects his own diverse background. The man is of African, Native American, Irish, French, and German descent. His music is similarly a smorgasbord of hip-hop, reggae, jazz and folk. He got his start over 20 years ago with industrial punk act The Beatnigs and late 80s alt-hip-hop act Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, perhaps best known for social statement Famous and Dandy (Like Amos and Andy)." He and Spearhead, his long-time backers, should deliver an energetic set. Other options for this slot include venerable Preservation Hall Jazz Band under the tent (could be tempting if the rain is heavy) and Black Keys' guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach. The latter's first solo effort, Keep it Hid, has been well-received.


Michael Franti & Spearhead - Ganja Babe (live)

That should do it for Sunday. Pearl Jam closes out from 8:00-10:00. I suspect after a long day standing up in crappy weather, we'll be done with this year's festival before that.

That's it for the previews. Come back from some reviews and pictures. Find out how wet we got!