When Bands Battle: ACL Festival's 'The Sound and the Jury' '09

Think you’ve had it hard at eleven forty-five am during ACL? Stumbling your way into the blaring Zilker Park sun after the after-show after-party is rough on anyone, but right this moment there are five bands working their asses off in hopeful anticipation of playing to the pitiable ACL crowd at that very hour.

The Sound and the Jury, ACL Festival’s annual battle of the bands, is down to the final five contestants. They have been battling it out in venues both physical and digital for months now, trying to network, self-promote, and cajole their way onto the Dell stage the winners will share with industry goliaths Andrew Bird, Phoenix, the Decemberists, and Bon Iver this Friday.

Public voting yielded the top 100 bands for industry judges to whittle down to 20. Then internet voting re-opened as these acts scrambled to win the chance to go head-to-head live at the finale tonight at Antone’s. The coveted ACL appearance will be awarded according to a combination of votes from the judges and the audience. In other words, this is your chance to participate in ACL Fest for those of you who didn’t nab a ticket to ACL before they sold out. And you don’t even have to wake up before noon with a soul-splitting hangover.

Most of the finalists don’t have far to travel to Antone’s; three of the final five are from Austin. Andrew Tinker, from Denton, was a founding member of the Polyphonic Spree who just released his debut album this spring. Local dance-inducers The Bright Light Social Hour will bring the offbeat art-rock vibe. Local psych-pop outfit The Bubbles will provide effervescence. Austin act Mobley has a lush synth sound, while OK Sweetheart (formerly Erin Austin) rounds out the diverse bill as singer-songwriter.

Andrew Tinker [Myspace]
The Bright Light Social Hour [Official]
[Myspace]
The Bubbles [Myspace]
OK Sweetheart [Myspace]