ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 3 Report

After two days of hanging around mostly with Miss Mary Mack at the Austin Kiddie Limits stage (not to mention the Family Music Meltdown 2), I thought it was important that she experience some other genres of music in other parts of Zilker Park. So after getting to the park after noon, we went over to the AT&T stage on the east side of the park to catch Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck. I thought she might dig the violin and banjo action. It was also early enough in the day that I felt like I could put her on my shoulders without offending the people behind me (because, at 12:30, I could still get close enough to feel, well, close, even at the back of the non-chair-sitting crowd). Washburn has spent a number of years in China, and so when she sang Chinese folk songs in a bluegrass arrangement, it didn't sound anywhere near as pretentious as you might think reading that description. In fact, it sounded, well, cool. But by about halfway through their set, we were getting hungry, so we left as the quartet riffed their way through "Eleanor Rigby."

I was a little disappointed that we never took advantage of the WaMu Tent's shade and gospel leanings at points earlier in the festival, but after snagging lunch at the Food Court next door... and a minute here to digress and praise the Food Court. Unlike many food courts at festivals and fairs, the Food Court at ACL is chock-full of high-quality local favorites -- I had some Stubbs' BBQ on Friday and had a Hudson's on the Bend wrap Sunday. Miss Mary Mack had a hot dog. And we got some kettle corn -- but organic kettle corn -- for dessert. The food is overpriced, of course, but not horribly so. And the selection is tremendous.

Anyway, we got our food and listened to the Southern soul of Nakia and His Southern Cousins for about 30 minutes until Miss Mary Mack wanted to head back to the Austin Kiddie Limits area, so we made our way aroudn the beach (volleyball courts) in time to hear most of mr. RAY's set (fairly similar to his set the day before) and then the Jimmies' set (who had I think a couple different songs in their set). The crowd might've been ever so slightly smaller than Saturday's crowd, but it was still pretty packed in their under the tent. And bringing beach balls and shakers and free t-shirts to fire into the crowd? Kids' music gold, I tell you. (For those of you wondering about the new stuff the Jimmies played, based on what I heard, I think the new album will be every bit as good as Make Your Own Someday.)

After the Jimmies' set, Nicole Atkins and the Sea stopped by. She sangs three songs accompanied minimally by a couple of bandmates and a couple kids making animal motions during her rendition of the folk standard "The Unicorn." That song was followed by her original "Brooklyn's On Fire" (meaning, fireworks on the Fourth of July) and showed off her incredible voice on her cover of "Dream a Little Dream."

Finally, the Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars came out and played some classic rock, a lot of which was recorded before 90% of the crowd (and 100% of the band) was even born. But by that point in the afternoon, I had listened to maybe 23 hours of music in a 50-hour time span, and Miss Mary Mack had listened to maybe 16 or 17 hours. We were at our limit.

Well, that and we had to get to the airport because our flight was leaving in 3 hours.

We had a blast this year, more so than last year (maybe because of last year), but I need another day or two to process everything into a nice, tidy summary post. Look for more ACL Festival 2008 stuff throughout the week. And thanks for reading.

ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 2 Report

We made it! To Day 2! After a nice breakfast/brunch with the family, Miss Mary Mack headed back out to downtown Austin, snagged a shuttle, and made it to Zilker Park in time for most of Uncle Rock's Saturday set. I figured that since Saturday would involve not only ACL but also aftershows (i.e., Family Music Meltdown 2), we could get there a little late. Unfortunately that meant missing Jambo's set, but since we'd seen him Friday (not to mention last year), I figured that'd be OK. Uncle Rock's set contained some music from yesterday's set (the superhero medley, for example), but also some new stuff (compared to Friday), but because I'm not the assiduous set list chronicler that Gwyneth is, I couldn't tell you what that new stuff was. Here he is performing with Abu from the Lannaya Dance Troupe that's been showing off African dance during the breaks all weekend. He did wear his big black shirt, which, I gotta tell you, must have helped him sweat off a bunch of fluid, because it was slightly warmer Saturday...
After watching the BBoys and BGirls do their breakdance routines, having Miss Mary Mack get a new hairdo again (this time pink and green streaks), and making a homemade shaker, it was time to head back to the stage to hear Buck Howdy and BB do some sweet Western swing. With Buck on guitar backed (usually) by some recorded background tracks, the two of 'em ran through a lot of songs off Chickens! and Giddyup!. Buck and BB probably had the smoothest patter of any of the AKL artists. BB, however, had issues with the soap bubbles she was trying blow into the crowd of kids.

The crowds on Saturday were naturally bigger at AKL than on Friday, which meant that there were actually a bunch of kids attempt to pop those soap bubbles, and, after the break (featuring the Lannaya Dance Troupe -- well worth catching for a few minutes if you're in the area), mr. RAY took the stage with his band. His three-piece band sounded really muscular (if one is allowed to use that phrase with kids' music -- of course one is) as he ran through his late-preschool-age-friendly pop-rock. He had the kids naming what they want to be when they grow up and roaring like dinosaurs. And the tent was pretty full.

Miss Mary Mack and I played a little Ziggity while waiting for the Jimmies to come out. Actually, before the Jimmies came out, it was time for the "Special Guest," which I think must've fallen through, based on something Tor said from the stage about thanking his guests for coming together at the last minute. The show was the Q Brothers, Abu from the Lannaya Dance Troupe, a couple kids from the School of Rock. It actually sounded OK all blended together (especially for something that probably involved zero practice).

And then the Jimmies played, Ashley wearing a "rootin'-tootin'" dress with the guys dressed in their matching white shirts and different- colored ties (they've got some sort of Tally Hall thing going on). They played a couple "rootin'-tootin'" songs, but mostly they rocked out, playing songs both from their debut as well as from their next (as-yet-unrecorded) album. They were also the most prepared for the audience as their fans in-town brought out beach balls and homemade egg shakers. By this time, the crowd was definitely swelled, and the kids, oblivious to the fact that it was, like, 90 degrees, bounced madly around.

And, then, like that, it was over. Except that they still had drawings for free instruments, and a drum circle, which was cool. Kids sitting in a circle, drumming in rhythm (for the most part) for a good 20 minutes. Miss Mary Mack thought it was great, and I didn't have the heart to pull her away early even though we had to motor off to Ruta Maya for the Family Music Meltdown 2. But right around 4:30 it ended, and we boogied on out of there, re-entering the rest of the ACL Fest grounds for the first time since we entered it 4 hours before.

I'll have a post at some point later in the week about FMM2, but it was lots of fun. And now it's time to start packing and get ready to go to Day 3. Not quite sure what we'll be seeing today -- I think I want to explore some other parts of the Festival with Miss Mary Mack... It'll be an adventure.

ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 1 Report

OK, do you really want to know how tiring a musical festival can be? At some point late in the afternoon on Friday, Day 1 of the Austin City Limits Festival, 2008 edition, as I left the media tent, I realized that I was missing my green wide-brimmed hat. I turned around, looked at the computer area for it -- not there. I went to the media area's welcome table and asked if somebody had turned in a green hat. One of the ladies there looked at me and said, "You know, you've got one hanging around your neck..."

So the first thing you need to know about a festival is that it can be an utterly exhausting experience, even if you're the type of person who handles utterly exhausting experiences well (as I do).
Miss Mary Mack arrived in downtown Austin around 10 AM, caught the shuttle at Republic Square and after checking in at the media area, strode into the grounds pretty much right at 11 AM. These pictures are a view to the east and then to the west of Zilker Park. At 11 AM, it's pretty empty. By 6 PM, it's near chaos.

We headed west to the Austin Kiddie Limits stage, which once again this year is tucked away right next to the AT&T blue room stage in the northwest corner of the park. The best part of the stage (besides the music, of course) is the fact that it is covered. Yay shade! The worst part of the stage is that's tucked away in the northwest corner of the park, about as far as possible from the media tent. Which meant for a lot of hiking throughout the day. (See hat anecdote above.)

Uncle Rock kicked off the stage with his band, the Little Playthings, and they sounded great ("Sugar Talkin'" the Superhero Medley, lots of uptempo stuff. For most of the set, they were joined by URock's son Jack, who sang harmony. Uncle Rock played up to the crowd and the photographers (this might be my favorite photograph of the day). Uncle Rock finished up at noon, and we toured the AKL area.

We watched an African dance troupe, Miss Mary Mack got free ice cream at the HEB booth (sadly, no cheap fruit and veggies this year), and reluctantly sat down to get her hair punk-styled. (A few blue streaks, and that was it for her.) After a little bit of coloring book coloring, we headed back to the stage to watch the Q Brothers, who did a nice little set of positive hip-hop, joined by AKL producer Tor Hyams on keys for a couple songs.

By the time the Q Brothers' set ended, we were getting hungry, so we left the area and headed out to the food court which, thankfully, has a huge selection of Austin-based vendors to choose from. Of course, Miss Mary Mack picked cheese pizza, but I got myself a pulled pork sandwich from Stubbs. Fortified with protein and carbs, we headed back to AKL to catch most of Jambo's set. We saw 'em last year, but it was nice to hear the set again and actually be familiar with the songs. That thing attacking Melinda McGraw is a puppet puppy dog for "I Love My Puppy Dog."

Miss Mary Mack and I headed back to the media area because I had an interview scheduled. Unfortunately, the act was running behind and ended up not being able to make the interview. But Miss Mary Mack and I played Ziggity for, like, 45 minutes in a very shaded area. All things considered, not too bad. Miss Mary Mack, however, had reached her limit for the day, so we walked all the back to AKL, then out of the park so that her uncle could pick her up.

Which meant that I could catch the tiniest part of Patty Griffin's set from a loooong way away, then over to the Mates of State set at the Austin Ventures stage. They had a small string section for part of their set, and it really helped. That's the beauty of ACL, though -- you can bring people you might not be able to afford for a small club show. Here's how good they were -- as soon as they finished the set, I knew I'd be heading over to the Waterloo Store onsite to pick up Re-Arrange Us, their latest album. (Which I did.)

The rest of the evening was great -- David Byrne playing some of his greatest Eno-era Talking Heads material along with new stuff. I love Stop Making Sense, but its total focus on the band to the exclusion of the audience means you don't get that crowd sing-along feeling. When 15,000+ people shout, "My God, what have I done?" in "Once In a Lifetime," you get that release. Also, Byrne and his white-clad band and modern dancers (loved the office chair suite) totally ignored that "no white after Labor Day" rule.

From there, I scooted all the way back across the park to hear the rest of the Swell Season's set. They seemed plagued by technical problems (with the piano, with Glen Hansard's guitar, with overwhelming sound coming from Alejandro Escovedo's set nearby), but it really was a compelling set. I heard "Falling Slowly," some other songs from Once, but Hansard also played a Van Morrison song (source of great technical difficulties) and the band played a Frames song to close the set.

And at that point I was done. Felt like I couldn't do the rest of Escovedo's set justice, so I went to Waterloo, picked up the MOS disk, and got in the shuttle bus line for home. So here's the line.

OK, it's time for a breakfast brunch with the family, then off for Day 2 and then Family Music Meltdown 2 at Ruta Maya (6 PM, join us if you can!)

ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 0.5 Report

Sorry, no photos to share yet. Figured you wouldn't be interested in the photos from the airport. I have learned, however, several things.

1. I'm lousy at Wii bowling. Worse than in real life. (Less than 100? Really. Pah.)
2. Miss Mary Mack is pretty darn good at Wii bowling. Better than me, and much better than in real life.
3. I'm lousy at Wii golf. This, however, closely matches my actual golf skills.
4. Miss Mary Mack is an excellent questioner. She grilled the Official Brother and Sister-In-Law of Zooglobble at dinner. At this point, I figure I'm having her ask all the questions in the interviews tomorrow and after the AKL stage shuts down I'm sending her off to Mississippi just in case.

I just wrote down my list of activities for tomorrow, and I'll be amazed if I don't fall asleep on the shuttle ride back home.

Go ahead, look at the Day 1 schedule... anything I shouldn't miss?

ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 0 Report

OK, Miss Mary Mack and I are hanging out at the airport. We've made it through security, Miss Mary Mack's e-mailed her teacher a couple photos, and I've just tweaked my (our) schedule for the whole of Austin City Limits Festival 2008.

Voila!

It is still too crowded -- there's no way I can be at 3 shows at once, and after you throw in interviews and a 2nd grader in the mix, clearly this is half realism, half insanity. But I'm an experienced ACL / Austin Kiddie Limits veteran now, as is Miss Mary Mack, so I think we'll be OK.

I'll try to post throughout the weekend -- we'll see how successful I am in that regard.

I'm obviously bringing the computer with me, though I'll probably only be checking at non-festival hours. If you're there, e-mail me and we'll try to say hello.

And don't forget -- Family Music Meltdown 2. Saturday, 6 PM, Ruta Maya, just $5, free for infants.

Woo. Hoo.