Out the Other's ACL Previews: I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Tom Petty, Van Morrison and More

Well, I can't quite believe I'm finished. Last night I posted the few remaining previews, which means that for the second year in a row, I have previewed each and every act performing at the Austin City Limits Festival. I couldn't have done it without help though, so once again, I would like to thank John, JD, Jeff, Chris and Becky, who each contributed guest previews to help me finish my project. I would also like to thank Austinist for letting me guest post here, and everyone who has visited the site this year. I hope you discovered a few bands that you'll now be checking out at the festival.

I'm packed and headed to Austin in about nine hours - hopefully I'll see you tonight at Local Music Is Sexy 2. Remember, you can now check out each and every artist performing at the festival this year on my ACL Artist Previews Page. And since I'd hate to miss this opportunity for a shameless plug, you can check out my regular blog, Out the Other, where I'll post my ACL coverage this weekend and when I return to Nashville.

Here's the last batch of bands:

Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Texas native Jimmie Dale Gilmore has probably been playing music longer than half of the band members on the ACL roster have been alive. (full preview)

Nickel Creek - With the recent announcement of an indefinite hiatus to begin after the end of Nickel Creek's 2007 tour, you best catch this rock-jazz-country-pop-folk-bluegrass group while you still can. (full preview)

Galactic - This New Orleans band has been bringing the groove and the funk since 1994, and they will definitely keep you dancing in the hot Texas sun. (full preview)

Murder By Death - Murder by Death's website describes their music as a layering of "the vocal sounds of an old saloon with the haunting strings of a Hungarian folk dance and the hard driving rhythms of pure rock 'n roll." Guest previewer Becky just calls it a toe-tapping good time. (full preview)

The Secret Machines - Shoegazer mixed with elements of classic rock? Progressive rock mixed with layers of indie/pop rock? The Secret Machines may not have created a groundbreaking sound, but the different elements they incorporate on each track make them a compelling act. (full preview)

String Cheese Incident - After slightly more than a decade of one of the most ambitious touring schedules, the String Cheese Incident are finally taking a break, but not before they make one more trip to Austin. (full preview)

Okkervil River - Taking its name from a real river in Saint Petersburg, Okkervil River plays lo-fi folk mixed with indie rock, with dark introspective lyrics combined with almost chaotic arrangements. Hard to explain, but amazing to listen to. (full preview)

Ghostland Observatory - Austin's own Ghostland Observatory will bring their "electro-dance soul rock" to the festival as a last-minute addition to the ACL lineup. (full preview)

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness plays dark pop mixed with '80s, new wave-ish sounds that make them sound like a Manchester export rather than an Austin band. (full preview)

Sparklehorse - Mark Linklous (with an assortment of his friends) has been performing and recording as Sparklehorse since 1995, creating the "pop equivalent to Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombone." (full preview)

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Does Tom Petty even need a preview? With a truly "classic" rock 'n roll sound, Petty has remained relevant and successful for the past thirty years, earning critical success while remaining critical of the modern recording industry and the demise of independent radio. (full preview)

Van Morrison - It doesn't matter how large the audience watching Van Morrison is this weekend - for me, his music is so intensely personal, I know I'll forget the crowd is even there. (full preview)