Are you one of
the gazillion people about to descend upon Zilker Park for
Austin City Limits? If so, bring sunscreen, drink plenty of
water, and go easy on the Mighty Cones. Also, make sure you
have a predetermined meeting spot because you’ll inevitably
get separated from your friends and your texts and phone
calls will be dropped.
If you’re not ponying up $180 for ACL tickets, I have just
the thing for you. This Saturday the Ditch The Fest Fest
returns and it’s better than ever. In just two years this
alternative to the ACL Festival has grown tremendously and
is now an impressive festival in its own right. It features
75+ bands and DJs over 12 hours at 5 venues. As if the great
music wasn’t enough, you also get to enjoy free Shiner Bock,
video games, a moon bounce, live puppetry, belly dancing,
crafts, body painting, photo booth, and more. The cost? A
mere $2 cover at each venue or $5 for a wristband which will
get you in all the venues. How awesome a deal is that!?
The Fest features some of our favorite local bands: Blue
Kabuki, La Snacks, Leatherbag, The Sour Notes, Dana
Falconberry, Elaine Greer, the Eastern Sea, and The Long
Tangles. You can find the full schedule of bands
here. Besides the bands I just mentioned,
here are a few other groups you may want to catch on
Saturday.
:Cheap
Time - People Talk:
This is actually a cover song (by a band called The End) but
Cheap Time have added own punk take and made the song their
own. It clocks in just over two minutes and is brilliant in
its simplicity. An example of punk rock at its finest.
See them at Red 7, inside stage at 1am.
:Not
In The Face - The Way:
Sure, it’s a
terrible band name, but the music is as impressive as the
name is sophomoric. The drums/guitar duo makes raw and brash
garage rock with lots of early rock influence. They’re also
know for their live shows so be sure to see them at Club
DeVille, outside Stage at 10pm.
:The
White White Lights - Space Invaders:
I love this
track. It’s the type of cocksure dance punk you’d expect
from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and I have to believe that sort of
intensity translates extremely well in a live setting.
See them at Red 7, inside Stage at 10pm.
:My
Education - A Man Alone:
One of Austin’s
best instrumental bands and a group always worth seeing.
They cover a wide range of the musical spectrum from
dissonant and droning to lush and alluring. I saw these guys
perform a live score to a film and it was once of the
coolest things I’ve attended since moving to Austin.
See them at Red 7, outside Stage at 11:30pm.
:Mother
Falcon - Fireflies:
Another great
things about the DTFF is the huge variety of bands featured
in this year’s lineup. Case in point: check out this
beautiful orchestration and the incredible vocals from
Mother Falcon. The band looks to "bridge the gap between
classical instrumentation and modern music" and I’d say they
do it quite well. See them at Cheer Up Charlie’s, main
Stage at 11pm.
- Dan Corbin -
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