ACL 2011 Video Wrap-Up: Stevie Wonder shreds a keytar, Cee-Lo and Nakia serenade the crowd, and more

Well, another year, another Austin City Limits Music Festival. This year everyone thought the date was too early, but the planners got lucky and the long run of brutally hot weather broke just in time for festival weekend. We made it down for Saturday only (after six years of three-day attendance), and put our energy into getting a good spot for Stevie Wonder's amazing closing set. That was a good move apparently, as weak sound toward the back marred the experience for some.

So until people start to speculate about whether Radiohead will be headlining in 2012, here are a few good videos I found of 2011. Most of these are courtesy of the official ACL website, with a few indie efforts tossed in. Enjoy!

Let's start with one that we actually witnessed. Stevie Wonder kills on the keytar with an intensity that would have made Jimi proud. I love that in the midst of his solo, Stevie has an ecstatic grin on his face that's just like the one he'd flash 48 years earlier during his "Fingertips" routine. This is a man who loves playing music for people. The people who he plays it for are lucky.

Here are a couple more we were there for. First, Fitz & the Tantrums trying to start a dance party. They eventually succeeded. Next, Cee-Lo invites TV-protégé Nakia on stage for signature song, "Fuck You."




The Walkmen closed out a powerful set with the soft-loud sonic boom of "In the New Year." Matt Barrick pounds the skins like nobody else.


Foster the People doing their best PBJ in front of one of the first big crowds of ACL on Friday afternoon.

One person's compilation that covers the whole weekend, giving you a small taste of the shuttles and a bikes and bigger taste of the massive crowds.


A final four-pack of performances from the ACL website.

ACL 2011: Not there? Catch the Webcast

 

ACL is here!  Day one is already halfway in the books.  Chances are if you aren't already in town for the festival, you aren't coming.  If you couldn't make it but dig the lineup, the folks as ACL are Webcasting the festival on the ACL Youtube channel.  Choose from two different feeds -- schedules are listed on the bottom of the page.  The quality is pretty good, so go check it on out.  If you're quick, you'll catch a bit of Foster the People's set!

FBtA's Audio and Video History of the Native Tongue Collective - Part 3: Video Collection

For Part 3 of our Native Tongues retrospective, we're taking a short break from the chronological history.  Instead, here's a nice little selection of NT-related video footage, featuring lots of old television appearances and a bit of reminiscing and reflecting by the three Beastie Boys.  We did arrange the list by year, starting in 1989 and going forward.  Hope you enjoy.

[Part 1] [Part 2][Chi Ali Interlude][Part 4][Part 5]

This clip from 1989 is a great place to start.  According to the poster on Youtube, it is taken from a mini TV special (Super Channel-blue night) from 1989 about De La Soul's release of 3 Feet High and Rising.  The interviews with the band and Prince Paul provide an insightful look into their approach to sampling, which was such an important ingredient of early Native Tongues music.  There's also some footage of the release party in New York, including fellow Bambaataa disciple KRS-One talking about why he was digging De La.

This one's a bit strange:  The Jungle Brothers being somewhat rude and aloof on a low-budget Dutch TV show during a visit by them and Quest back in 1990.  They look like they might have stopped at a coffee shop for some Northern Light first.  It would be fun just for the history, but the live footage happens to be very cool. This is just what a show by one of the Native Tongue groups might have been in 1990 -- not too big of a venue yet, so the crowd is small and definitely into it.  The JBs might not be feeling the interview, but they still show the crowd respect and get on down come concert time.  No doubt that some of the Dutch audience doesn't understand the lyrics, but that doesn't stop the crowd from gettin' it.  Wish I was there!

Another old one:  Grainy VHS of A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad in a 1990 interview on some cheapo show.  A little history is revealed though, as Q-Tip discusses the early days.

One of the few places to find hip-hop on TV at all before 1990 was Yo! MTV Raps.  By 1991, the show was airing during the week with Dr. Dre (the East Coast version) and Ed Lover and on weekends with original host, old school hip-hop granddaddy Fab Five Freddie.  Here's a 1991 interview with Queen Latifah, Quest and MC Lyte, who were in the midst of a tour.

Who knew that the Native Tongues were so widely embraced in northern Europe?  This time, it's Finland that's lucky, with De La Soul performing "Say No Go" and getting the crowd going.  Love these videos of concert footage from the early days.  They all seem so passionate and into it.

This one brings back memories.  I think I saw this special the first time it aired on MTV in 1991:  A hip-hop episode of the popular Unplugged series that MTV billed as Yo! MTV Raps Unplugged.  LL Cool J was on, and I remember MC Lyte also.  This one shows Tribe doing just fine working outside the box.

De La Soul was on the same special doing "Ring Ring Ring" from De La Soul is Dead.  According to the Youtube poster, the backing band on these cuts is Pop's Cool Love, who I vaguely recall being a "hot" act in the very early '90s, when genre-mashing was very popular, but I believe they fizzled out shortly after this little peak.

Well, 1991 apparently was a kick-ass year for hip-hop on television.  A few years before, you just really couldn't find live hip-hop on mainstream TV.  Along with The Arsenio Hall Show, The Wayans' In Living Color was one of the few showcases for young hip-hop talent on the big channels at the time.  The show featured a young Shawn Wayans spinning hip-hop and new jack R&B during the cuts to and from commercial breaks, with the Rosie Perez-choreographed Fly Girls dancing along.  From time to time, episodes featured a musical guest, who'd perform a cut or two live for the studio audience, usually at the end of the show.  From '91, here's Leaders of the New School busting "Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense!!"

Tribe is well represented in this post.  Here's "Check the Rhyme," from 1992, with Tip and co. on the Yo! MTV Raps set. Tip and Phife are on point (all the time).

One of my all-time favorite musical spots on The Arsenio Hall Show.  A Tribe Called Quest and Leaders of the New School team up in 1992 to bring some serious energy to the set with a raucous rendition of "Scenario."  Busta Rhymes once again looks so ready to break out that he just might jump through the TV screen. Charlie Brown meanwhile looks like he snorted a line or two right before the cameras started rolling. I love the look on Aresnio's face at 2:55.

More Quest from '92 as the Tribe do a cool live spot with The Brand New Heavies and others on a Yo! MTV Raps special.  Live instruments (vibes, horn section) spice up a sweet version of "Check the Rhyme."  Working with Quest helped inspire The Brand New Heavies to delve further into hip-hop, culminating with the 1992 collaboration LP Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1.

I think this might be the same special (Yo! MTV Raps Live - Spring Break 1992).  Black Sheep was hitting their brief pinnacle as the remix of "The Choice is Yours" became a surprise crossover hit. Some of the dance moves made me chuckle.

Moving on to 1994.  A Tribe Called Quest had their routine down by now, and it shows in this tight performance of "Oh My God!" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.  Tip and Phife's call-and-response bit sounds smooth and natural.  The group was about to start its decline but it hardly shows here.

Michael Rappaport, director of Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, emcees an event called "The Heave Sound Presents Mind Body Soul - A Concert Event To Raise Awareness For Diabetes."  This took place back in January 2010 and in addition to A Tribe Called Quest reuniting for the occasion, the lineup was hot: A Tribe Called Quest + Jay Electronica + Consequence + Mos Def + Talib Kweli + Krs-One + Jeru Da Damaja + Greg Nice + Dres (Black Sheep) + Statik Selektah + Termanology + Mr. Cheeks + And Others.  Phife may not look as good but still likes his beats as hard as two-day old shit, and the twosome still can bust the "uhs" and the "ahs."

The Beastie Boys discuss the Native Tongues, their roots and their legacy.  Ad Rock points out that what made the Native Tongues interesting was that they really were involved in each other's projects at the time, and all three groups (Tribe, De La, JBs) had amazing, creative, now-classic albums out. It was a rare thing where the right people were in the right places at the right times for a run.  We may have had other collectives in hip-hop that followed who have also become legends, like Wu Tang, but nothing was quite like Native Tongues from '89 into the early '90s, with the samples, flow and some silly poetry coming together perfectly.

[Part 1] [Part 2][Part 4][Part 5][Chi Ali Interlude]

ACL 2011 Bullets (9/6/11): Another Give-Away and a Few Band Profiles

Okay, we're getting seriously close folks.  Haven't been over to Zilker Park, but I suspect fences are being arranged and stages are being erected.  If you're going to ACL this year, you better be settling any big question marks out there, like who you're seeing when, what you're bringing, how you're planning to get around town, etc.  Information helps, right?  Here's our latest rundown of some news articles, blog posts and other murmurings about the upcoming festival.

• Wanna go to ACL and also a guitar lover? The nice folks at ACL are giving away a pretty sweet package, and it has a tie-in to rising Austin blues-rock guitar-slinger Gary Clark Jr.: "Take home a music lovers prize package from Austin’s own Gary Clark Jr. to remind you of ACL’s 10th anniversary! Enter to win: (1) A pair of 3-Day Passes; (2) A signed Epiphone Acoustic Guitar; and (3) A meet-and-greet with guitar virtuoso Gary Clark Jr.  All you have to do is add Gary Clark Jr. to your ACL Festival Custom Schedule schedule by 11:59M Sunday, September 11, 2011."  Ten runners-up will receive a signed copy of his latest release, The Bright Lights EP.  Gary Clark Jr. - Friday 9/16, 6:30 @ BMI Stage.
• Here's one from speaker company Bowers & Wilkins that's pretty cool, especially if you're a fan of Coldplay: "On September 16, 2011, three winners, each with one guest, will be among the first to listen to Coldplay’s upcoming album Mylo Xyloto (pronounced my-lo zy-letoe) and then attend their live performance at the Austin City Limits Festival. This exclusive sneak preview will allow winners to hear the album five weeks before the album’s official release in the U.S. on October 24, 2011. ...  Dying to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?  Register on the Bowers & Wilkins Facebook Page for the chance to win this VIP trip for two to Austin, Texas."  Coldplay - Sunday 9/18, 8:10 @ AMD Stage.
• The official ACL website's Artist Discovery Series had a recent addition from Culture Map - Austin.  Caitlin Ryan profiles Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: "[W]hat you’ll find on their full length It’s a Corporate World are fantastic harmonies on “God Only Knows,” grunge guitars on “Morning Thought,” and philosophical talk on “Skeletons.” See? Surprising breadth for a “pop” band out of Detroit (who knew those two things went together). ... So if you want to have a lighthearted time and momentarily forget the woes of the world in its present state, check out the guys who were called one of the “best new bands” of 2010 from the likes of Stereogum, SPIN, Under the Radar, Real Detroit, The Metro Times and others. You’ll smile, you’ll sway, and you’ll appreciate the effort they put into making sure the crowd has a damn good time."  Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Sunday 9/18, 1:30 @ Honda Stage.
• Lots of people want to know which up-and-comping, lesser known artists are worth checking out at ACL.  Going to see some of the "smaller" acts is often a good way to avoid crowds and the associated frustrations.  Here's Jeff Pollack of Huffington Post with three recommendations -- Foster the People, Young the Giant, and Empire of the Sun: "Empire of the Sun is a difficult band to describe if you've never experienced them. They are an electro-pop duo from Australia who hit it big Down Under with their first single, 'Walking On A Dream' in 2008. We were a little slower to catch on Stateside, but Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore have hit the festival circuit hard this year and with a fantastic stage show, they've definitely made their mark. For a better sense of Empire's mix of catchy electronic music and theatrics, look up a few of their music videos (I would recommend 'Walking On A Dream' and 'We Are The People') and see if you're not tempted to see what these Aussies are like live." Foster the People - Friday 9/16, 5:30 @ Google+ Stage.  Young the Giant - Saturday 9/17, 2:00 @ AMD Stage.  Empire of the Sun - Sunday 9/18, 7:30 @ Google+ Stage.
• Ryan Lester of The Austinist interviews Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen, a band we've seen many times and always brings it.  Turns out Leithauser's worthy of consideration for honorary Austinite status: "I remember one year that I realized I’d spent something like 32 days in Austin, Texas. I couldn’t believe it because I’ve never lived there. We always end up there, and it’s really a major stop on the national tours. There’s a lot of stuff to do there for bands. We go there as much as any other much bigger city."  Catch The Walkman ACL Sunday, 2:30 at the AMD stage, and make sure to spend a bit of time watching dynamo drummer Matt Barrick.
• Elizabeth Seward of Gadling with some general tips: "ACL is crowded, but it's fun. But keep the crowded thing in mind. Plan accordingly. If you have anxiety and think you may need to bring your medication, I suggest you do. It's also going to be hot. HOT. Very hot. Prepare for the heat and sun in every way you know how. I saw a girl passed out cold last year from what I bet was drug or alcohol related, but the heat certainly didn't help. Don't let that be you this year. Prepare."
• Finally, a couple of new videos posted to the ACLfestival Youtube channel: