Austin Music
XL on ACL: Corcoran Review Staples, Los Lonely Boys shine at music festival By Michael Corcoran Austin American-Statesman Sept. 20, 2003 How's this for a perfect music festival moment? Mavis Staples, one of the greatest gospel singers in history, is singing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" and a rapturous crowd at the Austin City Limits Music Festival is digging in, and the sky is so beautifully sunset red that you'd think the Creator was weighing in. Staples hasn't lost a bit of her otherworldly contralto, a voice that makes "hey" and "yeah" sound like genius lyrics. But her set's pacing, with lengthy bass and guitar solos during "Respect Yourself" and a singalong on "I'll Take You There," seemed intent on giving Staples and her sister, Yvonne, some breathers. Though the 7:15 p.m. set was in what everyone referred to as the "gospel tent" (officially the American Original stage), Staples and her four-piece band stuck to the secular for the most part. And even if the set was a little short, all who were there can say that they saw Mavis Staples in all her glory. Surprisingly, Staples' set was not the best-received at the Original stage Friday. That honor went to San Angelo's Los Lonely Boys, who kicked off their set at 5:45 p.m. and gave the audience an idea of what it might have been like to see the Beatles at the Cave Club in the early '60s. The three Garza brothers, suddenly the hottest band in town, grabbed their rock star status and annihilated the youngish crowd by giving Latin strokes to Stevie Ray guitar licks and pumping out harmonies that made you forget they're basically a blues band. If the tent holds 1,500, Los Lonely Boys played to 5,000, no exaggeration, as the revelers spread out in thick jubilation. The other surprise on the Original stage was the relatively unheralded appearance by Austin's Electric Church at 2 p.m. The first discovery of the festival, at least for the hundred or so on hand, the group melded sacred music and techno to dazzling effect. The choir, from Austin's Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, delivered full-fevered wailing over breakbeats to create a sound that would make as much sense at a rave as at a church. Drummer/band leader Erick Tatuaca, formerly of eLecTrosonic_ecstasy and Gahdzilla Motor Company, has worked with these singers for only four months. If the audience's instant leap to its feet at the conclusion of "Glory To Your Name" is an indication, this hybrid soon may find a bigger audience. It was only the first in a series of surprises at a tent dedicated to blues and gospel. mcorcoran@statesman.com; 445-3652 | ||||
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