Out the Other's ACL Previews: Gnarls Barkley, Thievery Corporation, Kings of Leon and More
[Several weeks ago, we told you about a community radio DJ from Nashville who'd set out, for the second year in a row, to profile all of the bands playing this September's Austin City Limits Festival. We've invited Janet Timmons of Out the Other to join our staff as a guest writer -- she'll be providing weekly summaries of the latest bands she's covered on her fantastic ACL Artist Previews Page. Welcome, Janet! -- The Editors ]
This week's previews:
Gnarls Barkley - The usually costume-clad duo of producer Danger Mouse and rapper/singer Cee-Lo have been all over the radio waves (and MTV, and the 'net) with the ubiquitous "Crazy." If we're all not sick of the song by September (and they're as entertaining as their press photos), I think we're in for a good time. (full preview)
Asleep at the Wheel - Get your Western Swing on with nine-time Grammy winning Ray Benson and his crew. You won't find a better example of the genre, and the group's "big band country dance music" is full of complex chord progressions, harmonies and arrangements - both incredibly impressive and entirely danceable. (full preview)
Imagination Movers - If you're bringing the kids and you'd like to find out what would happen if the Beastie Boys and Mr. Rogers collaborated, these four friends could be worth checking out. (full preview)
South Austin Jug Band - While you'll find no jug in this band, their brand of "bluegrass or newgrass, neo-jug, acoustic country-folk, Texas roots unplugged, swinging Lone Star beatnik country" will more than make up for it. (full preview)
The Stills - This Montreal band showed us a different side of their sound this year with Without Feathers, the highly-anticipated follow-up to 2003's Logic Will Break Your Heart. If an excellent recent club show in Nashville is any indication, the group's practiced stage presence and setlist drawn from both albums will be even more of a treat in the festival setting. (full preview)
Thievery Corporation - The production and DJ duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton wowed the ACL crowd at last year's festival, and I missed it because I had to see Spoon. This year I'm marking my schedule for this set and looking forward to an hour of their "sonic exploration," which blends trip-hop and downtempo electronica with a variety of styles and vocalists. (full preview)
Star Kids Yoga - Not a band, but a staple at ACL. In its fourth year, the program will help your kids relax and have fun at the Kiddie Limits stage. (full preview)
Kings of Leon - Brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, with their cousin Matthew, play Southern-soaked rock straight out of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. I caught the band a few years back in Nashville, and while their guitars and yowling didn't do much for me on-stage, the band's latest - Aha Shake Heartbreak - has earned them a second chance. (full preview)
