Meet the Friday ACL bands

Gnarls Barkley, John Mayer, Los Lonely Boys, Van Morrison and more

By Joe Gross
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Thursday, September 07, 2006

Asleep at the Wheel. (Friday, 12:30 p.m. AMD Stage) Texas lifters who never met a Bob Wills song they couldn't pay tribute to.

Benevento Russo Duo. (Friday, 11:45 a.m. Heineken Stage) A duo, as you might imagine, of keyboardist Marco Benevento and drummer Joe Russo, the team splits the difference between jam-band tune-logic and organ trio soul-jazz (except as a two-piece).

Beto and the Fairlanes. (Friday, noon. Austin Ventures Stage) Launched decades ago by Robert 'Beto' Skiles, the band's leader and pianist, the Fairlanes play pure party music: Latin jazz, Latin funk and all kinds of conga, complete with an Austin address.

Bojones. (Friday, 11:30 a.m. Washington Mutual Stage) A young band from Houston clearly influenced by the Mars Volta's modern prog. It might sound nice and bracing before noon.

Cat Power and the Memphis Rhythm Band. (Friday, 5:30 p.m. AT&T Blue Room) Her live show is legendary for its inconsistency, but rumor has it she's been killing it lately, and the combination of indie-rock navel-gaze mumble and Southern soul she created on this year's 'The Greatest' made it easily her most compelling album.

Danielia Cotton. (Friday, 4:40 p.m. BMI Stage) Blues-rockin' gal from Hopewell, N.J. You might think of Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, PJ Harvey and Bonnie Raitt, but don't tell her.

Joy Davis. (Friday, 2:40 p.m. BMI Stage) Straight out of Cedar Park comes this singer-songwriter, perhaps better known as the sister of rocker Patrice Pike and Texas Music Hall of Fame artist 'Sliding' Stevie Davis.

Deadboy & the Elephantmen. (Friday, 2:30 p.m. AT&T Stage) After kicking around with various sidemen for a few years, Dax Riggs joined New Orleans-born singer/drummer Tessie Brunet in 2004. Their punky, bluesy, garagey debut appeared earlier this year.

The Dears. (Friday, 1:30 p.m. AT&T Blue Room) Further confirmation that Montreal might be the indie-rock capital of North America, the Dears play a rambling, cathartic cabaret pop.

Del Castillo. (Friday, 5:45 p.m. Washington Mutual Stage) The band's 2006 album, 'Brotherhood,' mixes Anglo and Latino idioms brilliantly: deftly played acoustic Spanish guitars, bilingual lyrics, appearances by Willie Nelson and Ray Benson, that sort of thing. Underneath, Tex-Mex polyrhythms move the crowd. Without a doubt, one of Austin's best bands.

David Ford. (Friday, 11:45 a.m. AT&T Blue Room) One of the breakout stars of this year's South by Southwest Music Festival, Ford signed with Columbia Records for an album of adult piano pop.

Ghandaia (Friday, 12:45 p.m. Washington Mutual Stage) Expect rich Latin grooves from this up-to-nine-piece Austin band.

Jimmie Dale Gilmore. (Friday, 6:30 p.m. Austin Ventures Stage) A Flatlander, a solo artist, a songwriter, a true Texas warbler, his most recent album, 'Come On Back,' focuses on the songs of his youth.

Gnarls Barkley. (Friday, 4:30 p.m. AT&T Stage) Obsessed with disguises, masks and poorly hidden identities like a couple of kids on Halloween, the hip-hop phenomenon of 2006 is a duo of DJ Danger Mouse and rapper Cee-Lo Green, complete with a hit song in 'Crazy.'

Gomez. (Friday, 5:30 p.m. Heineken Stage) British trad-rock band that looked like the next big thing for a minute there. But where Oasis and Pulp were mods, Gomez was a rocker, and it just didn't translate to the States as well. Yet, here it is.

The Gospel Silvertones. (Friday, 3:15 p.m. Washington Mutual Stage) Austin newest gospel ensemble. Expect sharp grooves and praise-worthy singing.

The Greyhounds. (Friday, 12:40 p.m. BMI Stage) Groovy, friendly and on the real, they bring the funky fresh blues, soul and rock to juicy jams and boogie rock.

Guster. (Friday, 2:30 p.m. AMD Stage) Good-natured trio with roots at Tufts University and a hard-core grass-roots following second perhaps only to Dave Matthews, Guster has moved from dynamic acoustic jams (more bongo!) to spry and witty pop quartet sounds.

Terri Hendrix. (Friday, 12:50 p.m. Austin Ventures Stage) Born and raised in San Antonio, Hendrix blends folk, blues and old-time music, which has won her a devout Texas following, not to mention a country instrumental Grammy for 'Lil' Jack Slade,' a song co-written for the Dixie Chicks' album 'Home.'

Sara Hickman. (Friday, 6 p.m. Austin Kiddie Limits Stage) She followed up a few kids' albums with an album called 'Motherlode,' complete with a drawing from the Kamasutra on the cover. Here, she'll stick to kid material.

Ray LaMontagne. (Friday, 7:30 p.m. Heineken Stage) His albums have a tendency toward the singer-songwriter snooze (probably to be expected from a guy who says his life was changed by a Stephen Stills solo cut), but live, this Mainer exudes a fragile charisma and intensity that could win you over to snooze-folk.

Ted Leo + Pharmacists. (Friday, 1:30 p.m. Heineken Stage) A explosive combination of the Jam's punk energy, Thin Lizzy's open-hearted melodicism and plenty of D.C. hard-core leftism, Leo has forged this band into an absolute jackhammer of politics, pop and punk.

Los Lonely Boys. (Friday, 6:30 p.m. AMD Stage) Austin's favorite sons from San Angelo have weathered a smash hit debut album complete with a hit single, various legal problems and a follow-up disc that appears to be sinking fast. Nevertheless, Austin still adores the Boys' Tex-Mex blues workouts.

John Mayer. (Friday, 8:15 p.m. AMD Stage) Mild as warm tea and toast, Mayer is the living embodiment of the sort of adult alternative pop that wins Grammys and sells out tours. On the other hand, he's also made a concerted effort to move past frat-pop into something a little chewier and more soulful.

Mishka. (Friday, 2 p.m. Washington Mutual Stage) Atlanta-based power popsters with complete, possibly alphabetized Cheap Trick and Weezer discographies. Singer Michael Moore knows his Depeche Mode pretty well, too.

Van Morrison. (Friday, 8:30 p.m. AT&T Stage) On his most recent album, 'Pay the Devil' (Lost Highway), Van the Man goes country, which is not real surprising given his fondness for R&B, jazz and soul. We await his hip-hop album.

Oliver Mtukudzi & Black Spirits. (Friday, 7:15 p.m. Washington Mutual Stage) Gruff voice, groovy guitar and a fair bit of moralizing have made him one of Zimbabwe's greatest artists.

Trish Murphy. (Friday, 6:40 p.m. BMI Stage) This native Houstonian has been playing in Austin for 10 years, blending country and roots rock in electric and acoustic settings.

Matt Nathanson. (Friday, 4 p.m. Austin Ventures Stage) Acoustic adult folkie singer-songwriter pop that has learned how to tour.

Nickel Creek. (Friday, 4:30 p.m. AMD Stage) These bluegrass sensations, who have been kicking around stages since they were mere children, found an audience by tweaking their home genres in indie-rockish ways — covering Pavement's 'Spit on a Stranger,' making electric music and generating hit albums.

Paolo Nutini. (Friday, 12:30 p.m. AT&T Stage) He has an Italian name, but his family has been in Scotland for generations. This 19-year-old songwriter exhibits a remarkable command of acoustic soul, not to mention a voice three times his age.

Okkervil River. (Friday, 5:15 p.m. Austin Ventures Stage) Folk rock warble, shambolic indie rock, horns, organ, guitars and a fair amount of screaming have given this Austin band a fanatical cult following.

The Palm School Elementary School Choir. (Friday, 4 and 5 p.m. Austin Kiddie Limits Stage) Local kids, local rock musicians, songs by the choir's Gavin Tabone.

Tristan Prettyman. (Friday, 2:50 p.m. Austin Ventures Stage) About as laid-back as you can be without actually being unconscious, this SoCal folkie sounds like waves lapping at the shore and beach bonfires.

Claire Small. (Friday, 11:15 a.m. BMI Stage) An eclectic songwriter who blends '60s pop and country structures with Eastern European melodies inherent in the music of her Jewish youth, Small grew up in Nashville and spent time in Spain, which almost guarantees you'll become that sort of songwriter.

Sparklehorse. (Friday, 7:30 p.m. AT&T Blue Room) Sparklehorse is essentially Mark Linkous, a Virginia songwriter who in the 1990s made three albums of hypnotic, gorgeous music, part rural psychedelia, part lo-fi pop. 'Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain,' Linkous' first album in five years, is due in this month.

Stars. (Friday, 3:30 p.m. Heineken Stage) Ornate pop that's not quite as exuberant (or chaotic) as the music from countrymen Arcade Fire, Stars nonetheless make thrillingly detailed sounds.

Streets to Nowhere. (Friday, 1:50 p.m. Austin Ventures Stage) Now signed to Capitol, Streets to Nowhere is one of those newfangled MySpace/social networking phenomena. It rose out of pretty much nowhere in Oakland, Calif., with a punky acoustic sound, self-released an album and now has a wide-open career ahead.

The Subdudes. (Friday, 4:30 p.m. Washington Mutual Stage) Gutbucket '60s blues rock a la Three Dog Night? Check. Cajun rock 'n' roll done up all spicy-like? Check. Jam-band grooves-gumbo that sticks to your ribs? Check.

Thievery Corporation. (Friday, 6:30 p.m. AT&T Stage) The duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton has been throwing down the smoothest of techno, acid jazz and rare groove for more than a decade from their Eighteenth Street Lounge club in Washington, D.C.

The Tragically Hip. (Friday, 7:45 p.m. Austin Ventures Stage) Of course, the first thing you think is, 'They're still around?' But the band's pretty much a legend in Canada, where its career never even took a breather.

Wolf Parade. (Friday, 3:30 p.m. AT&T Blue Room) The blogosphere went bananas for these Canadians, whose vision of indie pop isn't too far afield from such earnest soundtrack suspects as the Shins and Hot Hot Heat.