Sunday night Jan and I travelled to San Antonio and met up with our good friends Dusty and Lori.  We went to see the David Crowder Band play at Floore's Country Store in Helotes.  I heard somewhere that the sold-out show was only the 2nd ever sell-out at Floore's, with the other one being Willie Nelson.  I'm not sure I believe this, but I do know that it was packed to the brim with 3500+ people there. 

The show was incredible as expected.  It was so nice to have them headlining instead of being the opening band.  We saw them open up for 3rd Day last year and was disappointed they only played for 45 minutes.  It was hard enduring two hours of 3rd Day after that too (no offense to the many 3rd Day fans out there.)  But, this show was a good hour and a half of Crowder goodies to feast on.  Every time I see them in concert, I am usually amazed at how much they had improved since that last time I'd seen them.  I think they've reached the level where I can't tell that they need to improve at all so that's credit to them. 

One of the highlights of the night has to be when they played "...neverending..." with Dave sporting a Guitar Hero guitar.  It wasn't just for looks though.  He actually played real chords with it that went right along with the song!  Incredible!  I think it was B Whack that took the time to program it and unlock it for live sound.  I'm not sure how he did it but my hat's off to him. 

The new cd Remedy is really good and I highly recommend it to everyone.  Check it out here! or buy it at iTunes, Best Buy, or wherever music is sold.  I already have a couple of Crowder favorites on this album - "For the Glory of It All" and "Never Let Go."  And, Ted Nugent (no lie) plays on one of the songs.  That's more random than Abra Moore playing on All I Can Say.

Well, we ended up braving the cool weather on Sunday night and saw...err...listened to the Rolling Stones while zipping around on our kayaks!  It was me, Jan, and our friend Steve Z out there.  The launch and parking could not have gone smoother.  We got the last two parking spots in the lot!  As we approached the area on the lake we heard the announcer say that the Stones would be coming on in 14 minutes.  Nice timing!  Well, it got a little scary right after that because two police boats showed up and started directing boats to move back away from the Barton Creek inlet, which was behind the stage.  Well, with about 50 other kayaks and a couple of party boats in the area it was really hard to hear exactly what the police were saying.  I was worried they were going to make us leave the entire area.  Just as I had finished formulating my letter to the local paper to complain about this, we quickly realized that they were done pushing us back.  Apparently, they just wanted us back far enough away from where the pyrotechnics were going to occur.  What a relief!  There for a while, I kind of felt like I was on some kayak rebels video game.  I couldn't think of a good name for it, but think Street Skater equivelant.  Kayak or die dude!

Over the next two hours or so we got to hear loud and clear the Stones play a great set!  We couldn't see much but every now and then we caught a peak at the huge screen through some trees.  It was really a cool experience.  As one of the kayakers said, "it was money well spent."  Well said given that tix were around 90 bucks a pop.  The highlight of the night was when we were paddling back to the dock.  We didn't realize it was the last song of the night ("Brown Sugar" for those keeping score), but as we headed back tons of fireworks started going off.  We just turned around and watched with delight as they reflected off of the water.  It was cool to see the sillouhettes of hundreds of birds start flying out of the trees.  It was very surreal. 

So, that was our perspective of the show.  I forgot to mention we nearly froze our butts and hands off.  You know it's cold when you dip your hands in the water and it feels like it's 90 degress.  Anywho, I'm sure others (like my sister) could give you a completely different perspective since they were actually there! 

No, I didn't get tickets but I think Sunday afternoon will be a nice day for a little kayak ride on Town Lake.  Assuming there are no major obstacles then we will be floating around Zilker Park to see if we can hear some classic tunes by the Stones...for free and we will be sitting!  Apprarently there are no chairs allowed in the park for the show.  I'll let you know it goes.

Meanwhile, here is a map of possible launch points (sorry if it's hard to read)

As this year's ACL Festival was approaching I was getting less and less excited.  There just weren't enough big names for me to get excited about.  As it turned out though, I had a great time and by the time Monday morning rolled around I was left wanting to experience more.  The difference between this year and the last couple of years was that this year was mainly about trying out new bands that I haven't much of or some that I've never heard from. 

Friday

I spent most of this day by myself which has usually been the case for Fridays in the past.  It gives me a chance to adjust to the goings on and to the sheer number of people that I get to spend the entire weekend with.  I did get to hook up with Travis for a couple of shows.  It is always more fun to watch shows with someone else so you can have a shared experience.  At any rate, the bands I saw were: 

Guster - enjoyed these guys last time at the Barenaked Ladies concert a few years ago.  Still have a great sound.

Gnarls Barkley - sat through about half of their set and actually got bored.  I just didn't get the vibe that some others get.  Crazy is the only song I really like of their's so off to catch the second half of...

Nickel Creek - I love this band.  I was sad to hear that at the end of next year they will be breaking up and doing solo stuff.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed their second half.  Their musicianship is top notch.  They did a great rendition of Brittney Spears' "Slave."  Yes, that's right...hilarious!

Gomez - It's hit or miss with these guys mainly because they have so many different sounds.  I really like the main guy's voice and enjoyed the songs that he sang on.

Thievery Coporation - I wasn't close enough to really get into these guys but appreciated something different.  It was an interesting site to see fans from the audience dancing on the stage at the end.  Did I see Leonard up there?

John Mayer - I was reminded how good this guy is on guitar.  I enjoyed his set but wish Jan was there to enjoy it with me.  I'm probably a fan thanks to my bro-in-law Kevin.

Saturday

After working until 4:00 I got a later start than I had hoped for.  I was able to hook up with Chris, Liz, and Kristen for a couple of shows which was fun.  It's a good tradition to hand with Len for at least some of ACL.

The Shins - I enjoyed hearing some of their non-Garden State stuff.  They have a really cool sound fueled by the lead singer's voice and their drummer's style.  I caught most of their set but missed my favorite song of their's, Caring is Creepy.

Aimee Mann - She was smooth and expressionless which is what I expected.  But she knows how to sing a simple accoustic guitar song and just make it work well with just her voice.  I was sad to miss Calexico.  I'll catch them next time.

The Raconteurs - Leonard and I accidentally made it up fairly close for these guys.  I only knew two things about this group going in:  Jack White is in the band; and the song Steady As She Goes.  I'm now a fan and just bought their album on iTunes.  They have a great southern rock, blues sound that isn't quite one or the other.  They are a modern day Zeppelin and am enjoying their album immensely.

Iron & Wine - just caught a couple of their mellow songs as the sun set.  I enjoyed what I heard but Willie was coming up soon so I split.

Willie Nelson - I've seen him twice and now three times.  This was the highlight of the day.  He sang 25 songs in the hour and 15 minutes he was on stage.  The 73 year old is amazing and I hope he lives and performs until he's 103.

Sunday

The threat of rain was imminent throughout the day, but luckily the storms went on both sides of Austin without really affecting us.  This was the best day of the festival mainly because I spent most of it with Jan, my sister Jana (first timer), and Chance (first timer.)  It was fun to see Jana and Chance experience their first festival.  Chance was able to bring up the local radar on his phone from time to time which helped in relieving any rain fears.

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley - I decided that I like reggae when it is live.  There's nothing like the feel of the bass in your chest as you watch people dance (I danced a little groove myself from time to time) and dodge their weed smell.  This was a great show from start to finish.  It featured one of Bob Marley's many sons, including a last song performance from Ziggy.

Matisyahu - This was a highlight of the weekend for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed his set and am now a bigger fan.  If you listen to the lyrics of his songs, they are basically praise songs, some of which seemed to pulled directly from Psalms.  My favorite line of the whole weekend was "God is even in those people on the Porta-Potties..."

New Pornographers - I wanted to check these guys out because Neko Case is in the band.  I didn't feel like I really got to focus enough on the music since this was kind of a transitional time of meeting up with people.

The Greencards - This is a family favorite of the Wilsons.  My parents introduced us to this great bluegrass band a few years back at Mother Egan's in downtown Austin.  This was a fun show as we were on the third row.  That's a good thing too, because during the slower, quieter songs it seemed like all I could hear was Ben Harper singing on the stage next door.  They really need to fix the sound battle between the AMD and Austin Ventures stage.

Muse - Whoah.  Jana and I got to experience our heaviest show ever at the same time.  I knew they were good, but I had no idea it was going to be that cool!  Great sound, great lights, great music all around.  I probably won't buy their entire album but I've got a few of their songs downloaded and am enjoying them. 

That's it!  We decided to skip out on Petty because we couldn't get close enough to hear anything.  That's a good thing too, as a storm blew in right as we were walking back.  So, next year?  We will see if it's worth another 3 days.

Hey ACL-attenders.  Did you know that you can create a customizable ACL schedule online that you can save and load?  Well, if not then go and make one here: http://www.aclfestival.com/schedule/default.aspx

Once you have made one send me or post a comment with your schedule code which can be found at the top of your customized schedule.  My code is: ACL663606.  To view mine just click on the link above and enter my code in the "View Schedule by Code" section.

I need to fill in several holes as you will see if you look at my schedule.  So, I'd love to hear from some of you on who you are going to see.  I'm open to just about anything!  Hoping for reasonable temperatures and no rain.

Update:   SOLD

I wanted to give my blog friends a chance to buy my extra Sunday Austin City Limits Music Festival before I put it on Craig's List.  I'm asking $50, which is face minus the convenience and shipping fees.   Sunday has the best line-up in my opinion.  So, if you're interested then drop me a line.

Since I never remember to post the little "Currently Listening to..." section in previous blog posts, I thought I'd just submit an entry dedicated to this area.  So...

Currently Listening to...

- Keane - Under the Iron Sea

- Robbie Seay Band - Better Days

- Slaid Cleaves - Flower Dresses

- Mason Jennings - Be Here Now

- Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman

Always looking for some ideas on new tunage, so let me know if you have any recommendations.

UPDATE 7/13/06 5:07 PM

Sunday wins in a landslide (especially because my vote is worth 10 total votes.  Sorry Truss.) __________________________________________________

So, I screwed up and didn't get my 3-day pass in time this year and now they are sold out.  I'm over it.  But now, I need to decide which day to attend for the one day tickets and need to decide quickly.  Can you guys help me decide between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday?  Post a comment now with your vote and why you chose that particular day.  I need to act fast so I don't miss out so reply soon.  Thanks!  :-)

These are the bands I would want to see on the corresponding day:

Friday

Guster

John Mayer

Gomez - seen before

Gnarls Barkley

Van Morrison

Nickel Creek - seen before

Saturday

Calexico

Aimee Mann

Iron & Wine

Ben Kweller

The Shins

String Cheese

Willie Nelson - seen before

Sunday

Patrice Pike

Greencards - seen before

New Pornographers

Kasey Chambers

Sun Volt

Kathleen Edwards

KT Tunstall

Matisyahu

Tom Petty - seen before

It is cool to see Crowder's perspective on all that has gone on between the launch of their record, Kyle's death, and their ongoing success...check it out:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2006/davidcrowderband-0406.html

Check this out! 

Growing up I was a huge G 'n R fan despite the crazy antics and psychotic issues of Axl Rose.  All I will say is that if they're going to make a come back, they'd better do it right and get Slash involved.  Time will tell...

I'm excited because Mat Kearney is coming back to Austin on February 15th.  Any takers?  Check out his site if you've never heard him before. 

http://www.matkearney.com/

Yesterday, was the first day for the ACL Fest.  In the days and weeks leading up to the Fest I have not found myself getting very excited.  A lot of that had to do with the hurricane threat, but the hurricane ended up not being an issue after all and no major artist have backed out as of right now.  So, now I'm a bit more excited.

So, yesterday I got to see Robert Earle Keene (always a smile on my face at his concerts), Spoon (first time to hear much of this local Austin band; good stuff, especially "Camera", The Allman Brothers (still sound the same as 30 years ago), Keane (yawn), and The Black Crowes (enjoyed it mostly.  They really need to write songs like they did on '92's debut "Shake Your Money Maker."  Man, that seems like ages ago - I was 15!)

Looking forward to a bit cooler climate today and hearing Jet, Death Cab for Cutie, and Oasis today.  Tomorrow, it's Doves, Wilco, Franz Ferdinand, and Coldplay...

I just read this at Austin360:

• Is Oasis coming to the Austin City Limits Music Festival? A tour schedule released Tuesday has the British band playing in Dallas Sept. 22 and Houston Sept. 25. The ACL Fest is Sept. 22-25, leaving two possible dates for the Gallagher brothers and company. "You can connect the dots," says Fest booker Charles Attal, "but I'm not confirming anything right now." Also rumored to be on the schedule, which will be announced May 5, is Coldplay, whose new album drops this summer. -- Michael Corcoran http://www.austin360.com/xl/content/music/xl/2005/04/inmusic_04-28-05.html

In my best Joey from Blossom voice..."WHOAH!"

I'm listening to the new Coldplay single "Speed of Sound" on iTunes right now!  I'm diggin it.  Can you dig it?  The band is making some bold claims about their new album X&Y coming out, saying that if it isn't the best album you've heard then they won't be satisfied...or something like that.  I'm sure I'll like it but I won't expect the best I've ever heard.  Don't want to set myself up for dissapointment. 

Currently listening to:

- Mat Kearney

Since I don't have a section right now that allows me to show you what music I've been listening to as of late, I will just have blog about it from time to time.  So, if you care...

- Franz Ferdinand (since October)

- Garden State Soundtrack (since last Summer!) plus Such Great Heights by Postal Service via iTunes

- KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 13

- U2 Vertigo

- Mute Math (since an hour ago)  Check these guys out when you have a sec.  They're on the cover of the latest Relevant and are coming to Austin.  I hope to catch them when they play at Stubb's.