ACL Artist Profiles: Deer Tick and White Lies

Providence's Deer Tick started out as a one-man band, but have become a quartet over the past few years. Incorporating influences such as Roy Orbison, Richie Valens, and early Van Morrison, the group plays a fairly minimal and gritty brand of rock that is just as classic as it is indie. Singer/chief songwriter John McCauley's vocals are raspy and full of cigarettes and whisky, lending themselves well to tales of sadness and desperation. The tunes sound capable of appealing equally well to urban hipsters and aging Creedence fans, and frankly, if Quentin Tarantino ever makes a Vietnam movie, these guys will totally be on the soundtrack. The group are touring behind 2009 sophomore album Born On Flag Day, which has made some noise due to both the band's relentless touring and the catchy lead track "Easy" finding a home on a number of music blogs and satellite radio stations. Take the advice of big fan Brian Williams (yeah, that Brian Williams) and catch Deer Tick Saturday morning - it'll be a quality start to ACL Day Two.

Deer Tick will perform on Saturday, October 3 at 11:45am on the Dell stage. Have your morning coffee with them.

Deer Tick: [official] [MySpace]

This year's model of epic, stadium-sized Britrock at ACL comes courtesy of London trio White Lies. Barely two years old in their current form, White Lies have already managed a #1 Album in the UK with debut To Lose My Life... earlier this year. While the band claim not to be big fans of Editors or Interpol, the comparison points are plentiful - all are morose, anthemic, dry, and focused on darker themes. Songs like "Death" and "To Lose My Life" (see what they're doing here?) mix hooks and soaring choruses with pensive lyrics delivered in a style a bit reminiscent of Alex Kapranos. The group's music has featured on some of the world's largest stages this year during appearances at the Glastonbury and Reading festivals and while opening for Kings Of Leon and Coldplay, so it's likely that White Lies will have no trouble capturing the attention of Zilker Park on Sunday.

White Lies will perform on Sunday, October 4 at 3:00pm on the Xbox 360 stage.

White Lies: [official] [MySpace]