ACL Music Fest Sunday Picks
The blurbing of ACL 2009
Fri., Oct. 2, 2009
David Garza
1:20pm, Austin Ventures stage
Ambition keeps a hammock at David Garza's house. The local troubadour is releasing four new EPs on the occasion of this weekend's Zilker Park Pachanga, The Road to ACL running Northbound, Southbound (in Spanish), Eastbound, and Westbound. Speaking of Pachanga Festival, Garza starred in Fiesta Gardens' tree shake this May, and now ATX's Prince delivers January's Dream Delay on the West side. – Raoul Hernandez
Terri Hendrix
2:20pm, Austin Ventures stage
Thirteen years, 10 albums, and reams of good press have followed Terri Hendrix's career since the San Antonio native first ventured forth from her college days in San Marcos. Her heartfelt music plays hopscotch on a crazy quilt of sounds, and she's as comfortable on acoustic guitar as electrified with a band. Hendrix is also a poster child for the DIY generation: Her homegrown Wilory Records just turned 10. – Margaret Moser
Heartless Bastards
3pm, Dell stage
When Erika Wennerstrom showed up in Austin last year to regroup her Ohio-bred Bastards, it was a fortuitous move. The now-quartet's latest LP, The Mountain (Fat Possum), is one sweet dropkick from Chrissie Hynde's home state and a solid entry in this town's country-blues-rock canon. Wennerstrom's voice – an ACL staple – still blows your bangs off your forehead. – Audra Schroeder
Brett Dennen
4:45pm, Austin Ventures stage
Brett Dennen's youthful appearance is deceptive, since he turns 30 this month. The Northern Californian was named one of Rolling Stone's "Artists to Watch" in 2007 and followed through with Hope for the Hopeless (Dualtone) in 2008, a contemporary singer-songwriter effort that drew favorable comparisons to Bob Dylan and Neil Young. – Jim Caligiuri
Dirty Projectors
5pm, Dell stage
Brooklyn's Dirty Projectors embody indie rock's new density movement. The band's latest album and Domino debut, Bitte Orca, compacts adventurous avant-pop, mainstream R&B, and oddly syncopated female voices behind leader Dave Longstreth's slippery alto-scat. At a sold-out Red 7 this summer, guitarist Greg Ginn joined in for an impromptu jam session and a few choice covers from 2007's Rise Above, the Projectors' absurd reimagining of Black Flag's Damaged. – Austin Powell
Rebirth Brass Band
5:30pm, Wildflower Center stage
One of the best and brightest New Orleans is so famous for, Rebirth Brass Band earned its kudos layering the city's traditional brass band music with blues and jazz, plus contemporary influences like hip-hop and funk. That irresistible sound is a highlight of the annual Jazz Fest there, but the second line forms here. – Margaret Moser
Raul Malo
6pm, Austin Ventures stage
You couldn't ask for a dreamier voice at the close of the fest's last day. What fans he didn't make during his years fronting Nashville favorites the Mavericks, the Miami-born singer and songwriter accrued over the last decade and five solo albums, including spring's Lucky One. Don't forget his turns with Austin's Grammy-winning Los Super Seven. – Margaret Moser
Girl Talk
7pm, Xbox 360 stage
As Pittsburgh's preeminent mash-up maestro, Girl Talk delights in copyright-challenging dance music, copying and pasting his favorite Top 40 hooks, club bangers, and sick a cappella vocals. Recognizing the source material is only half the fun. 2006's Night Ripper reinvented the glitch-pop genre with more free samples than Central Market while Feed the Animals, released last year with a pay-what-you-will pricing model, keeps the party moving. – Austin Powell
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
7pm, Wildflower Center stage
Louis Armstrong proclaimed PHJB one of the acts to see in New Orleans nearly 50 years ago, and it's still true today. The band's exuberant Dixieland gumbo, seasoned with reeds, strings, and skins, is a mighty force no hurricane has been able to damage. Be happy you can experience some of that Big Easy charm without swatting mosquitos in line at that ramshackle little venue off Bourbon Street. – Margaret Moser