ACL Stage Preview: AT&T's Friday Lineup with Gogol Bordello, Manu Chao and more

From Gypsy punk to singer/songwriter to world musician to Talking Head, the AT&T Stage on Friday, September 26th at this year’s Austin City Limits will host a wide range of talent. The music begins later in the morning, but the final act, Manu Chao, closes out the evening as the night’s final band at 8:30 p.m. As a stage reserved for some of the bigger acts, you’ve most likely heard these guys, or at least heard of them. If neither, well then maybe you should bring a blanket and a smile and plant yourself up front for the duration for some aural edification.

Houston native Rodney Crowell starts things off with a treasure trove of songs dating back to the '80s that run between country, folk and rock. He struck up friendships with Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt early on and was married to Rosanne Cash. Then, in the late '80s with his album Diamonds and Dirt he experienced a boom in popularity with a few songs that became #1 hits on the US country charts, such as “It’s Such a Small World” (a duet with Cash) and “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried”. He also brought his twang and song to bear in Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band for a few years.

Touring for his debut solo album, Seeing Things, just out this July, Jakob Dylan along with his touring band, The Gold Mountain Rebels, are making landfall at ACL. He, like many these days, really hit the festival circuit this year with performances at Bonnaroo, Bumbershoot, Rothbury and Newport Folk. His mostly-acoustic, blues-rich and slightly raspy folk tunes aren’t too far from the songs of his father. After Austin, Dylan will take his Rebels to Europe.

Describing Gogol Bordello’s music is difficult because they’re a band whose music and highly animated performances are much better witnessed with your own eyes. The crazed, Gypsy punk troupe is lead by singer/guitarist Eugene Hutz and his impressive moustache. Dancing, costumes, accordion, fiddle and a hell of a lot of merrymaking put this group in a class almost all to their own. The band is a melting pot, blending languages, genres and cultures into a sound that’s ambitious and a bit chaotic.

David Byrne is another name that should fall on familiar ears. He was the frontman for the Talking Heads until the band’s demise in 1991. Now, he’s got a new album out, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, in collaboration with Brian Eno. It’s the duo’s second after 1981’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, and it sounds quite similar to the music from those Talking Heads days. Byrne has described the sound of the latest album as “folk electronic gospel”. Byrne will be touring with a band he assembled for this purpose into 2009.

Manu Chao, Image from MySpace

Manu Chao is a worldly musician, singer and political activist who sings in several languages, but mostly Spanish, French and English. His songs blend several different styles like rock, punk, salsa and ska, and he’s not shy at all about relaying a political and social message. He is one of the world’s best selling artists, but he is less well known in English-speaking countries. Also, his performances in America are often infrequent, so drink him in Austin.

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