Eleven Hundred Springs specialize in a pure brand of country that should provide a perfect anti-dote for fans of that genre amidst the variety of pop, rock and electronic acts at the 2007 Wall Of Sound Festival. Lead by Matt Hillyer and Steve Berg, the band has put out a number of records on labels such as 13 Recordings and Palo Duro Records. Besides their upcoming gig at the Wall Of Sound festival, Eleven Hundred......

Marie Daulne (aka Zap Mama) is one helluva woman. This tireless globe-trotting humanitarian also happens to be soulful singer, not content to simply sit on her laurels and make groovy music. She's got enough clout to work with famous musicians like Pink Floyd's David Gilmore and virtuoso bassist Meshell Ndegeocello. It's an intoxicating blend of "World" music, Reggae, Funk, and Hip-Hop, and a set that guarantees gleeful globe-trotting. Zap Mama Latest Release: Supermoon, 2007 Brussels,......

This "velvet-voiced" Latin crooner guy Raul Malo is undeniably talented. Conjuring some of the most beloved singers of our centuries, you'll hear a little Buck Owens, Ray Charles, and Frank Sinatra and lots of Roy Orbison in his finely trained pipes. Please email us if you make out with that new someone to any of these songs. We'll buy you a beer next time we see you out, 'cause that's awesome. Raul Malo Latest Release:......

With fans like Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal singing her praises, it's no wonder that Grace Potter and The Nocturnals have been become a sweeping sensation. Their sound is a modern take on rugged soulful rock'n'roll that draws heavily from the likes of early My Morning Jacket as well as J.J. Cale. Constant touring and recording have earned the band tremendous amounts of fans and press, and Texas now welcomes them as they perform......

Guy Forsyth has behind him 17 years spent on all sorts of songs under his belt. But, the Austinite has long had an affection for Delta blues and Tin Pan Alley's Depression-era, and listeners can easily pick out the grit and gravel of those and other canons running through Forsyth's work. A prolific songwriter with a penchant for genre-jumping, Forsyth has most recently released a double-live album on his own label, Small and Nimble Records.......

Growing up in Indiana with his Jehovah's Witness mother, Dax Riggs got used to going door to door inviting people to hear about Armageddon. He believed that there was a God, and that God was good. One night Dax stayed up late, alone, and watched The Elephant Man on HBO, and nothing was the same after. His other band, Deadboy & The Elephant Men, grew from the ashes of a whirlwind romance that involved......

Over the years, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones have accumulated several Grammy awards and many more nominations for the bluegrassy fusion jazz sound they so deftly create. They don’t do too bad as solo musicians either. As a group, they have been around for nearly 20 years, and still tour rigorously. The group is comprised of banjo pundit and band leader Béla Fleck, technical bass master and three-time winner of Bass Player Magazine’s “Bass......

Kara Grainger got her start as vocalist and lead guitarist of the Sydney blues combo Papa Lips, but has recently branched out into a solo career as a singer-songwriter and slide guitar player. Following impressive showcases at the 2006 and 2007 SXSW conferences, as well as stints opening for guitarist Eric Johnson and renaissance man Russell Crowe, Grainger was asked to perform at ACL in anticipation of her upcoming album Grand And Green River. Kara......

Trent Summar’s story-telling capabilities and straight-up country sound drive his latest album, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. His music has been covered by artists such as Jack Ingram (who scored a hit with his adaptation of Summar’s “Love You”) while Summar has also collaborated with country stars like Pat Green. (They co-wrote “Somewhere Between Texas And Mexico” off Green’s Lucky Ones record.) Summar fronted the band Hank Flamingo prior to working with The New Row Mob.......

Taking their name from a Jack Kerouac poem, Rail Road Earth combines elements of bluegrass, rock and roll, jazz, and Celtic music with extensive forays into improvisation. Fans of Astral Weeks era Van Morrison and No Depression Americana will be delightfully pleased when the band takes the stage at ACL on Saturday afternoon at the WaMu Stage. Rail Road Earth Sparta, NJ Latest Release: Elko Hotel Double Live Saturday the 15th, 3:15 p.m., WaMu Stage......

Since 1975, Grammy Award winners BeauSoleil have charmed audiences as being one of the most heralded and esteemed Cajun groups in American music history. Band leader Michael Doucet artfully takes the rich traditions of Louisiana culture and blends other southern folk elements such as Zydeco, Jazz, Tejano, Country, Blues to astonishing effect. Beau Soleil have played The Grand Ole Opry, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival in the past.......

Austin-based singer and guitarist Jon Dee Graham has a gravel-filled voice that calls to mind Tom Waits. Graham's songwriting is full of salt-of-the-earth wisdom, and his style is comfortingly familiar without being overdone or unoriginal. That said, Graham's style is too high-energy to get him lumped into the singer-songwriter category. Jon Dee Graham Austin, TX Latest Release: Full, 2006 Saturday the 15th, 4 p.m., Austin Ventures Stage Ike Reilly Assassination is the project of one......

Del McCoury has been playing bluegrass music since 1950, which basically means that he's been playing guitars and banjos since before your parents were born. If that doesn't translate into transcendent musical abilities, we have no idea what your standards are. McCoury's band features his two sons, Rob and Ronnie McCoury, who have only been playing bluegrass since the early 1980s--banjo and mandolin, respectively--so, whatever. Ha ha j/k! Del McCoury Band Bakersville, NC Latest Release:......

Augustana. Even if you don’t know the name, chances are you’ve heard their single “Boston” over the past year. You know the one. They played it in on Laguna Beach, Scrubs and The Today Show. It hovered around the thirties on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a while. You know, it’s a melodic, piano-driven pop rock song with super sweet, almost cherubic vocals played by some baby-faced hipsters with shaggy hair and tight jeans.......

Sylvia St. James leads the masses at the House Of Blues’ Gospel Brunch in California. The Sunday menu there features cornbread muffins, hickory smoked bacon and sausage links, and an omelet station, along with inspirational hymns, motivational music, and Miss Sylvia’s vocal prowess (and official title of “Chief Mistress of Ceremonies for House of Blues Entertainment.”) Us lucky Austinites get our chance to witness her magic on Saturday afternoon during the 2007 Austin City Limits......

Brandon Rhyder slings the sort of country-fueled solo work that Texas has become known for. Full of hooks and smooth, slightly twangy vocals, Rhyder's songs focus on longing for the small towns and small-town friends left behind, telling stories about football games, girls from Fort Worth, and winding backroads. Working out of Austin, Rhyder has been touring somewhat relentlessly, playing everywhere he can and releasing a live album recorded in College Station and Nacogdoches......

The Broken West play the sort of power pop you'll want as background for a trip to the beach, especially if you're into the Kinks and enjoy wearing vintage Adidas short shorts. The L.A.-based band released their first album earlier this year, and the sound is bright and dense, filled up with guitar and piano draped with harmonized vocals that seem to be looking toward George Harrison's work. The Broken West Los Angeles, CA......

Billy Joe Shaver is one of those Texas music legends with a life story that sounds like country and western fantasy. His father abandoned the family before he was born, he lost 2 fingers in a sawmill accident, he lost his mother and wife to cancer and his son to drug overdose within a single year, and he suffered a heart attack on stage. But, Shaver has long channeled his pain into his music. For......

Straight out of the suburbs of Atlanta, the young men of Manchester Orchestra have quickly found a spot in the Georgia indie-rock circuit. Guitarist and lead vocalist Andy Hull homeschooled himself his senior year of high school to allow himself more time to focus on his work with Manchester Orchestra. The result of that focus is the band's first full-length. Peppered with references to Woody Allen, the album is full up with moody music that......

Ian Ball has a voice that calls to mind a more chipper Jeff Mangum. The veteran musician, best known for his work with Gomezn, tends towards the rich orchestration of Leonard Cohen's lushest work. Ball's solo work sound may owe a debt to the college radio all stars that came before, but the impulse towards low-fi is muted if at all present. Ian Ball United States* Latest Release: How We Operate (with Gomez), 2006......

Charles Walker was a veteran vocalist edging his way toward retirement. The Dynamites were a skilled band with little hope of a hit unless they could find a compelling frontman. It was a match made in heaven. The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker are a neo-soul outfit worth listening to. The sound is so funky you'd be hard-pressed to sit still while listening. Walker's years of experience and strong voice are perfectly showcased by the sharp......

The Wonderful Harmonizers came together in Huntsville, TX, in 1959--that's nearly 50 years of singing gospel music together. Perhaps most impressive, though, is the fact that they still sound great, playing tight Ray Charles-style gospel R&B with just a touch of Texas swing. They're playing fairly early in the afternoon on Friday, so you have even more reason to beat the crowd and arrive early. The Wonderful Harmonizers Huntsville, TX Latest Release: I'm Lookin', 2000......

JJ Grey & Mofro churn out funky swamp rock of the breed that made Creedence Clearwater Revival famous, minus the whole, you know, Vietnam War protesting angle. The sound is southern rock full up of funk -- music for getting down, even when the steam's so thick you could cut it with a knife. JJ Grey & Mofro Jacksonville, FL Latest Release: Country Ghetto, 2007 Friday the 14th, 5:15 p.m., Austin Ventures Stage Like many......

She may hail from Memphis, but Amy Lavere's music is eerily evocative of Austin. A bright, talented upright bass player with a knack for digestible songwriting, she crafts sleek ditties that glide along like the margarita-soaked Sundays we know all too well. Archer Records, her alma mater, got a handful when they signed up this one. There's elements of self-aware sarcasm and a easygoing resignation, insulated by smooth C&W rhythms and her lounge-y coo. One......

Jennifer Nicely cites many of country's solid gold heroes as her influences, but she has publicly professed her love for female jazz vocalists including Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. The influences show: her voice has the rich tone of a seasoned lounge singer who's spent too many nights singing her heart out for the indifferent audience, and her music relies on the steady walking beats that have characterized so much produced in the wake of......

Alexis Jones’ powerful voice paces The Jones Family Singers’ uplifting message and equally inspirational music. However, it is Dr. Fred A. Jones, a pastor as well as band manager, who binds this gospel act together. The Jones Family Singers, as the name would imply, consists of Dr. Jones’ daughters, sons, grandson, and even a son-in-law. The band’s resume includes an appearance on BET as well as tours all over North America. The Jones Family Singers......

Each week, Austinist's staff takes some time to introduce you to the bands playing at this year's Austin City Limits festival. Some you know, some not so much, but they're all going to be here, so stay tuned. --Paige Maguire, Music Editor The Gospel Silvertones specialize in soothing R&B and soul fit to kick off most mornings -- the band plays regularly at some of Austin’s favorite breakfast and brunch spots on weekends. They recently......