ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: The Festival in Video

As I'm starting to wrap up coverage of the 2008 Austin City Limits Festival and the Austin Kiddie Limits stage, I thought it might be nice to add some video to go along with the pictures and words I've been posting. So read on ahead for a whole bunch of sights and sounds (simultaneously) from this weekend's activities. Not just the usual suspects -- the Jimmies and Uncle Rock and Buck Howdy -- but also some other artists and other stages...
Friday, Sept. 26 (recap)

I probably had more fun on this day than any other, just because I got to see some awesome sets on my own in addition to hanging around the AKL stage. I started off the day at Austin Kiddie Limits...

Uncle Rock - "Sugar Talkin'"

The Q Brothers - "How It Was"

Jambo - "Ladybug Boogie"

After some wandering around in the wilderness and having Miss Mary Mack picked up by my brother, I headed back to the Festival to stand around in packed crowds hearing some great music.

Mates of State - "You Are Free"

I know the video for this David Byrne song is distracted, but the audio is decent. I only wish there was more zoom in on the dancers... in office chairs. Totally hypnotic.

David Byrne - "Life Is Long"

Saturday, Sept. 27 (recap)

Less video here because I didn't attend as many sets...

Buck Howdy with BB - "Baked Beans"

The Jimmies - "Birthday Party"

Sunday, Sept. 28 (recap)

And finally, Sunday... and a second Jimmies video, plus not one but two videos from Nicole Atkins and the Sea's set at the AKL stage...

The Jimmies - "Kids Wanna Rock"

Nicole Atkins and the Sea - "The Unicorn"

Nicole Atkins and the Sea - "Brooklyn's On Fire"

Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: Jambo

In my ongoing series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival, next up is Jambo. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock).

First, the technical specs...
-- Official Website
-- YouTube channel
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives

Whereas Uncle Rock explores the "rock" side of roots rock, Jambo (AKA Steve Pierson and his band), from Southern California, explores the bluesier side of roots rock. Not in any "my baby left me" sort of way, but he does play a pretty slick guitar. Oh, he also sings about ladybugs, dogs, and other topics left virtually unexplored by, say, BB King. Jambo is one of the AKL veterans -- they played the stage last year -- so he'll at least be smart enough not to wear something insanely warm. And it'll be a good, solid set.

Jambo plays Friday at 1:30, and Saturday at 11:30 as well.

Jambo - "Where Do They Go?" (Live)

One more live video after the jump.
Jambo - "It's A Good Day" (Live)

Austin Kiddie Limits: Schedule Set, Let Schedule-Balancing Begin.

A few weeks ago, the Austin City Limits and Austin Kiddie Limits lineup was announced, now comes the hard part -- figuring out what shows you're gonna see at this year's ACL Festival.

Austin Kiddie Limits lineup after the jump. Now updated for a totally revised schedule. Oh, and I hope you're not a big fan of both Beck andRobert Plant and Alison Krauss, 'cuz your Saturday night will now be fraught with confusion...
Day 1:

Uncle Rock: 11:30 - noon
The Q Brothers: 12:30 -- 1:00
Jambo: 1:30 - 2:00
Big Don: 2:30 - 3:00
Anthropos: 3:15 - 3:30
Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars: 3:30 - 4:00

Band I'd most likely skip the AKL stage to see: Either Vampire Weekend @ 2:30 or CSS @ 3:30

Day 2:

Jambo: 11:30 - noon
Uncle Rock: 12:30 - 1:00
Buck Howdy with BB: 1:30 - 2:00
mr. RAY: 2:30 - 3:00
Special Guest: 3:15 - 3:30
The Jimmies: 3:30 - 4:00

Band I'd most likely skip the AKL stage to see: Either Old 97's at 12:30 or Sharon Jones and Dap-Kings or Drive-By Truckers @ 2:30

Day 3:

Big Don: 11:30 - noon
Buck Howdy with BB: 12:30 -- 1:00
mr. RAY: 1:30 - 2:00
The Jimmies: 2:30 - 3:00
Special Guest: 3:15 - 3:30
Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars: 3:30 - 4:00

Band I'd most likely skip the AKL stage to see: Gillian Welch @ 2:30

Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Lineup Announced. Along With Some Other People.

Well, they've announced the Austin City Limits Festival lineup for the 2008 edition, and it's a doozy. Foo Fighters, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and Beck appear to be the 3 headliners based on the fact they're listed first, and there are a lot of bands on the undercard worth seeing (David Byrne, Neko Case, Gillian Welch, Mates of State are just some of the intriguing names on the list).

But this is Zooglobble, and so here I am with the Austin Kiddie Limits lineup:

Jambo
Q Brothers
Buck Howdy with BB
Uncle Rock
Big Don
Mr. Ray
The Jimmies
School of Rock

With the exception of Jambo, Q Brothers and School of Rock, all are new to the AKL stage. The lineup is a little more country (Buck Howdy), a little more hip-hop (Big Don, who was there last year passing out CDs, so that seemed to work out well for him), with perhaps the Jimmies trying to fit the large showmanship shoes of the Sippy Cups.

Austin City Limits Festival this year is Sept. 26 - 28.

Review: Lucy's Parade - Jambo

I've been trying without much luck to come up with an interesting hook for this review of Lucy's Parade, the debut CD from the LA-based band Jambo. Which really isn't fair to the band or this album, because both are pretty good.

The album is a straight-forward roots-rock album geared at the preschool/kindergarten set. Bandleader Steve Pierson, a blues guitarist, has a knack for writing the happiest blues-inflected tunes you'll ever hear. The standout track here is "Lady Bug Boogie," an infectious and rollicking boogie with ever-so-slightly silly lines like "I like all kinds of corn / But my favorite kind of corn / Is the candy corn." Other fun songs here are the "Where Do They Go?" (a bluesy and slightly fanciful song from the point of view of the preschool-aged child wondering what his parents do during the day) and the strutting title track. "Five Butterflies" is a slow track that doesn't sound a lot like the rest of the upbeat album, but it's a sweet counting song.

I should note that the band sounds really good. Pierson's got an appealing voice and plays a mean guitar. Pierson's wife Melinda McGraw deserves special mention here as her harmony vocals add a lot to the songs throughout the album, but the whole band just sounds like they're having fun.

Given its lyrical focus, the 38-minute album is targeted at kids ages 3 through 6. You can hear samples from the disk at its CDBaby page or listen/download a few track from their Myspace page.

So in the end, I still don't have a hook for this review, which maybe reflects that this Jambo's not breaking any new ground here. But what they've done is put together a solid group of songs, and that's enough for most of us (including me). Lucy's Parade is a well-done CD that's firmly for kids but with a rootsy musical approach that will appeal to a lot of parents. Recommended.