We're within three weeks of ACL 2011. Time to resurrect the bullet-point rundown of what people are talking about as we approach the festival. Click away -- this should help keep your mind on music, not the fact that the forecast says it'll be 109 here tomorrow!
- The Austin American Statesman is running another "scavenger hunt" and giving away passes for all three days: "The contest runs for three weeks, beginning Aug. 22 and continuing through Sept. 11. Each week, we’ll hide three hidden code words within our stories. Once you’ve got them all, email austin360contests@statesman.com with the three words and you’ll be entered. You can enter once each week, giving you three chances to win. We’ll announce the winner Sept. 12."
- The Statesman also reports that lucky students will have a chance to buy coveted three-day passes or Sunday tickets, although details are still needed: "The sale will take place at the H-E-B Plus at 2508 Riverside Drive on Friday, September 2. 3-day passes will be available for $185, cash only. Sunday tickets (which are still available online) will also be available for $90 and a limited amount of aftershow tickets will also be on sale." More info is available on the official ACL website.
- Did you know this year is the tenth anniversary of ACL fest? It's true. To celebrate, the folks at C3 are throwing themselves a little party, and it's free. Per the official ACL website: "[W]e’re throwing a ACL Festival Pre Party brought to you by Google Offers down at Republic Square Park in Downtown Austin on Thursday, September 8 from 6PM to 10PM .... Come out to catch local Austin artists Barton Hills Choir, Fresh Millions and Cowboy and Indian, as well as an open-air display of the best videos from the last 10 years of ACL Music Festival by Alamo Drafthouse’s Rolling Roadshow." Go to the link above to RSVP.
- Apps are here! Go to the official ACL website for iPhone and Android apps: "What does it do exactly? Pretty much everything you need to whip your ACL Weekend into shape: browse the official line-up, create a custom schedule (or sync up with your existing schedule) and share it all on Facebook and Twitter. Speaking of sharing, ACL’s app also allows you set up group chat to use during the Festival with GroupMe so you can keep track of your friends!"
- KVUE News takes a look back at the first ten years of the festival and how it has changed in a video with Austin Monthly editor Sarah Thurmond.
- Running down some blog entries now: Austin Bloggy Limits, not surprisingly given the name, is all excited about the approaching festival. A recent post seems to be the first in a series of artist profiles, this one featuring Seattle's The Head and the Heart. The band gets a thumbs up this time: "Their music is beautiful, honest, and pastoral with multi-part harmonies, string flourishes and intimate vocals. They have passed through Austin a few times in 2011 and ACL Fest promises to be their biggest audience yet. Make sure you are at Zilker Park by 1:00pm the final day of the fest, as The Head and The Heart will be taking to the Google+ stage at 1:30pm that day."
- Another site that appears to be starting a series of bios is Austin Town Hall. Nathan Lankford writes about Death From Above 1979 in the blog's first "spotlight" entry: "If it’s the heavier side of things you’re looking for at Austin City Limits Festival, this is probably going to be the best bet, for my money. If you just want to see someone put on an unrealistic display of energy, then find your way here. If you like MSTRKRFT or even Sebastien Grainger, then get here too. Whatever you do, I beg you not to riot, just sit back and enjoy the show Death From Above 1979 will be putting on at 5:30 over at the Honda Stage."
- The official ACL website has been sponsoring a bunch of blogs' posts called the ACL Artist Discovery Series. In this installment, Culture Map Austin's Caitlin Ryan profiles The Antlers: "A band that debuted with a gut-wrenching concept album revolving around the death of a either a person or a relationship (different reviewers arrive at different interpretations, even after interviewing lead Peter Silberman) may not be what you'd consider a perfect fit for a sweltering, outdoor summertime festival. But if you’ve seen Brooklyn’s The Antlers perform, you already know that the live delivery of their debut album Hospice is so committed and deeply atmospheric that The Antlers onstage bring about anything but downtrodden emotion."
- The prior Artist Discovery Series entry has Flavorwire's Doug Levy shining the spotlight on little-known Joseph Arthur, complete with a video interview: "Joseph Arthur is a creative dynamo. Since being discovered by Peter Gabriel in the mid-’90s, the extremely prolific singer/songwriter has delivered eight albums and ten EPs, staged gallery shows and released a book of his visual artwork, and even opened a museum. Last year, he debuted Fistful of Mercy, a side project that featured three-way collaborations with Ben Harper and Dhani Harrison, and this year brings the release of his newest album, The Graduation Ceremony."
- Backstage OL is counting down the days to the festival with a "song of the day" series. Kicking off is "Machine Gun Blues" by Social Distortion, "one of the most famous punk bands to ever come out of Cali!" Check out the vid.
- Consequence of Sound is putting its resources behind ACL coverage, big time. There are some basic, helpful links, plus links to CoS content on tons of ACL artists. Definitely worth checking out if you need to do some serious artist research before the festival.
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