The Gobblers Knob » Zac Brown Band

ACL Fest 2009 Recap (for Saturday, anyways) Part Two.

Kelly — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:30:36 +0000

Yesterday I posted thoughts from the first half of my day at ACL Fest, this past Saturday. Here is the thrilling second, and closing chapter…

Tightey-Whiteys and a women's set of unmentionables made for the festival's most unique flag...

From afar, I caught a few minutes of Airborne Toxic Event’s set. They sounded fine, and I see the appeal, but I was far to preoccupied with the Flogging Molly set that was nigh upon my rain-drenched body at that point to pay much attention. As a lad of Irish descent myself, I was pumped to catch them for the first time. I found a decent spot that was right in the middle and directly in front of the sound booth. I wasn’t as close as I would’ve preferred, but I was close enough to make the stage my main viewpoint, as opposed to being forced to use one of the two huge video screens that flanked the AMD stage as my primary vantage point. The band came out dressed in black suits and red neckties and proceeded to put on an all-out Celtic rock show. As a friend and I discussed during the set, Flogging Molly’s years on the road and flair for the dramatic created a sense of showmanship that was spot-on and joyous to witness. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to see the younger bands get on stage and do their thing in their own way throughout the day, but a tight, well-oiled clan like Flogging Molly came to perform, not just play. They nailed the punk-ish sing-along numbers like “Drunken Lullabies”, “If I Ever Leave This World Alive” (my personal favorite), “Requiem For a Dying Song”, and “The Worst Day Since Yesterday”, from their debut album Swagger. The rain was falling at it’s most extreme during the hour long set that ended at 5pm, but I – and the thousands of others who were watching – just didn’t care at that point.

Next up was Justin Vernon’s Bon Iver back over at the Dell Stage (after also seeing Deer Tick and Felice Bros there, the Dell stage was definitely the “stage of the day” for me). I doubt I am the first, or will be the last blogger to say that this dreary, gray weather was an ideal setting for Bon Iver’s melancholy take on indie-folk. Having not seen him live before, I wasn’t sure if his trademark falsetto would be as resplendent in a festival setting as it is when I listen to his work while wearing my headphones for optimal listening. The surprisingly large crowd watching this set (I didn’t realize there were that many blog nerds like me there) realized quickly that Vernon’s vocals have nothing to do with studio tricks, as he captivated the crowd of umbrellas and ponchos rather easily. I have read other accounts of this set that claimed the sound was muted, but I didn’t get that at all. Perhaps my distant spot and low expectations of true sound quality weren’t hard to top at that point. Vernon’s “Skinny Love” carried a considerable amount of heft that even the excellent album version lacks and the song became an unlikely crowd sing-along. As with many great concerts, Bon Iver’s ACL set made me grab my Ipod and revisit his work, first thing this morning (another dreary one in Austin on Sunday when I am writing this from the porch of Jo’s Coffee).

After Bon Iver’s low key tunes, it wasn’t hard to find a sonic boost at 6pm. Mos Def, Levon Helm and Zac Brown all had sets scheduled to start at that time. What was the toughest schedule choice of the day for me was made easier when I heard rumors that Helm wouldn’t be singing (but he would still be playing drums) due to doctor’s orders. The choice was made even easier when I looked across the field to where Def was supposed to be starting, only to see an empty stage on the video screens. That left Zac Brown Band at the Austin Ventures stage. I was really excited to see him, and likely would’ve made a point to catch at least a couple of his tunes anyways. The band opened with his recent #1 hit, “Whatever It Is”, then covered the southern classic, “Devil Went Down to Georgia”. The guys displayed excellent musicianship, especially the fiddle and lead guitar players. Brown’s vocals were far warmer than my body temp at that point. While the overall temp wasn’t bad, the soaked clothes that covered my frame effectively created a chill within me. The band efficiently rolled through a few more tunes, including a new one that I didn’t catch the name of. Once they played my favorite track from their platinum-selling The Foundation, “Toes”, I was off…

Bottle of Water – $4

Beer: $6

Bathroom line (near AMD main stage) of 20+ people and 30 mins long – Painful

Getting to catch Mos Def’s relatively laid back, R&B-heavy set while I waited for the bathroom - Priceless

View of downtown Austin behind the Livestrong main stage.

I fully intended on hanging around a few more minutes to catch at least the start of Dave Matthews Band’s 8pm set at the Livestrong stage…but. Once I had surmounted the substantial obstacle that was the line for the bathroom, I realized that I had 45 mins to wait (my friends had moved on to Threadgill’s at that time) until DMB went on, and the massive crowd of umbrellas that had already gathered to stake a “decent” spot was not only visible to me from across the park where there is a slight hill, making it easy to survey the landscape, but it absolutely defeated me and turned me towards the exits to begin my long journey to that “decent” parking spot, and then to my hotel.

As with the Red Dirt Round-Up a few weeks ago, I didn’t have much problem with leaving a tad early and missing the night’s headliner (I had been there for 8 full hours, much of it in the pouring rain and without any rain protection at all) since the sets I had seen throughout the day were so enjoyable, expertly performed and in almost all cases for the day, truly memorable

ACL Fest 2009 Recap (for Saturday, at least) – Part One.

Kelly — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:16:58 +0000

After a long walk from my car, the big schedule near the entrance was a sight for my sore eyes.

After an interesting scenario in which I found a decent (and free) parking spot, walked much of the way to the festival, realized I had left my ticket back at my hotel, hailed a cab and made it back to the spot where I realized I was missing my ticket, I found myself entering the gates of what has become practical hallowed ground for me, Zilker Park in Austin for the 2009 ACL Festival. Due to a wide array of circumstances, I only made it out to Saturday’s sets. Here are a few pics and notes from my rather productive day at the festival…

The Dexateens sent quite the wake-up call to sleepy Zilker Park.

For the second year in a row, my good times have been kicked-off with an awesome, energetic set at the BMI Stage (last year, Bobby Bare Jr. got things off to a smokin’ start for me on that same stage). The Dexateens had no issues with issuing a wake-up call to the rainy day. Mixing tunes from both their Lost and Found record and this year’s Singlewide (a record that I really loved, by the way), they rocked and bounced all over the stage, eliciting the loudest cheers that I have heard from any of the “pre-noon” sets I have seen at any other ACL Fest.

McCauley wasnt quite awake, but still tore it up...

While Deer Tick didn’t emanate the same exuberance that The Dexateens did right before them (John Joseph McCauley opened by saying that he wasn’t sure how he would sound since it was before noon still), they didn’t let that stop them from owning the crowd at the Dell stage. Drawing heavily from their recent LP, Born on Flag Day, McCauley and the boys opened with “Easy” and effectively displayed a couple of cool tricks. One, they reminded us all that you mustn’t be from the south to play great southern rock, and two, they also proved that you can be on your game while still asleep.

Alberta Cross' sound had no trouble filling the cavernous main stage.

Checked in on Alberta Cross as they opened the day’s sets on the Livestrong Main Stage. Not bad, I have read a good bit about these folks and after 3-4 songs, I made my way back to the Dell stage looking forward to getting more familiar with their work.

Back over at the Dell stage, I caught yet another buzzed-about blog-darling, The Felice Brothers. I was nervous that their set wouldn’t possess much energy and be a tad to meandering for an early slot that again welcomed more rain to the park. That was stupid. While various points in the middle of their 45 minute set did drag a tad, “Run Chicken Run” near the start of the set, and “Frankie’s Gun” and “Take This Bread” near the close of the set really revved things up. I got a kick out of seeing a “lead accordion” and then a washboard solo. The set was as stellar as it was unpredictable. As an interesting aside, I ran into the fiddle/washboard player and the bass player on Sunday at Amy’s Ice Cream on South Congress Ave.

The Accordion, taking the lead position during the opening number from The Felice Brothers excellent set.

The “Sloppy Nachos” from Salt Lick BBQ’s stand were even sloppier (translation: better) than last year. A small bed of chips smothered in a heavenly combination of white cheddar (I think) nacho cheese sauce, jalapenos, chopped brisket and then drizzled with Salt Lick’s signature BBQ sauce…it was better than Mute Math’s crowded set at one of the main stages that I walked past in order to get to my lunch.

Look for Part Two of my ACL Recap tommorrow….

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Zac Brown Band – Live From Bonnaroo

Kelly — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:40:58 +0000

The Zac Brown Band is perhaps the biggest story of surprising success in the realm of popular music in the last year or two. The ZBB was a hard working, relentlessly touring band who found themselves being signed by Atlantic Records and then watched their record, The Foundation get re-released (after selling a good amount at gigs and independently online), and then likely watched in amazement as their lead-single, “Chicken Fried” hit the top of the country charts. That specific chart-topper isn’t what makes them unique in today’s glossy wasteland of mainstream pop country – it’s easily the worst song on that record – it’s their attitude and approach to the material that seems to stand out. Their vibe is distinctly southern without the shtick. Laid-back to the point that you think they’re from California instead of Georgia.

It is that very loose vibe that makes the Zac Brown Band a favorite at large festivals around the country, making them one of the few mainstream country acts that can command the stages at events that feature very small amounts of artists from the bubble gum streets of music row, if any. Earlier this year, ZBB played the storied tents of Bonnaroo and captured 4 of their tracks on a new EP. Zac Brown Band – Live From Bonnaroo (Atlantic) is a great example of a band that gets it. In a world where the environment is rife with cheeseball hat acts and whiny, self-indulgent indie princes, ZBB seems to find a happy medium in a live setting.

The selection of songs for the EP is inspired. “Toes”, a summery beach sing-along based in bittersweet reality, is what Kenny Chesney likely wishes he could record, but knows he would wreck it beyond belief. “Free”, another laid back original, gently leads into Van Morrison’s great, “Into the Mystic”. The following track is a breakneck rendition of “Devil Went Down to Georgia”. The closing number, “Who Knows”, a ska-tinged country jam (yes, you read that right) that brings the set to a satisfying end. The extended jamming at the end of the song is likely a nod to the historically jam-band intensive festival. Possessing a String Cheese Incident like quality, ZBB never delves into the drudgery of noodling, that would be too laid back for these guys from GA.