The ritual of ACL has persevered through another year in which lesser known artists have risen to the forefront, headliners have met and exceeded expectations and then the acts that, consequently, flubbed their appearance. For weekend two, gone was the heat stroke-inducing weather of the previous weekend, and in its stead was an overcast, chilly and grey mood that lingered over the festival grounds. With optimal weather threatening to make every set perfectly enjoyable, the backdrop had been set for ideal viewing conditions and spectacular performances

Friday - Day 1

While rain tempered the mood a bit, most of Friday was filled with brisk weather and stellar performances.  Flamingosis kicked off Friday with vapor wave-inspired electro jams.  Relaxing and blissful, Flamingosis proved to be the perfect musical segue into a long day at the festival. Cherry Glazerr would come next with their angst-riddled grunge dressed with a heavy dose of Hole and Bikini Kill influence.  Their shoegazed rock would ebb and flow as their feedback-laden droning melodies entranced the crowd. Local duo, Black Pistol Fire, brought a raucous injection of pure rocker mentality and guitar shredding to a crowd that was  ready to turn loose. Stage antics and guitar solos revved up the appeal of these guitar slingers on a mission. King Princess was a pleasant surprise since accompanied with her music, she also brought a heaping pile of sass and witticisms. The dance party would begin with Kaytranada, as the Haitian-Canadian DJ refused to let crowd half-ass their dance moves and unleashed groove after groove for a hungry crowd.  The DJ’s set would end with a slew of hits that would have the crowd singing along and pressing to get closer to the front. Lil Uzi Vert  would blast out his cryptic lyrics over trap beats to a younger crowd who didn’t seem to notice the Vert played the same song twice. Instead of tapping into the nostalgia wellspring of Guns and Roses, I would opt for Tame Impala who despite having no new releases, played a show that featured nearly every hit of theirs, while a lightshow melting minds of viewers. 

Many of Tame Impala’s audience worshipped at the altar of Kevin Parker and it wasn’t hard to see why this Aussie psych rock band had ascended to the headliner spot, as their show was a grandiose spectacle of psychedelic brilliance.

Best of the Day:  Tame Impala, Cherry Glazerr, Kaytranada

Leaves More to be Desired:  The Raconteurs

Saturday - Day 2

ACL on Saturday got off to a fast start with local powerhouse hip-hop acts, Blackillac and Abhi the Nomad, playing early sets that energized the crowd and pleased local fans. The momentum of the early afternoon hit a snag when Houston hot girl, Megan Thee Stallion, didn’t show up to her set leaving, a legion of her fans disgruntled. Denzel Curry and Sigrid both brought an inordinate amount of energy and stage presence to their respective sets, while Tierra Whack displayed why her soulful R&B stylings were making her one of the hottest rising artists around. Lead singer of the Alabama Shakes, Brittany Howard, answered many fans questions as to whether Howard would have quality solo songwriting outside of Alabama Shakes. Howard brought a tour de force of soulful vocals, epic melodies and incendiary political statements that made her set one of the most memorable of the weekend. Kali Uchis ignited a latin-flavored dance party that was as genre-bending as it was infectious and Billie Eillish unleashed her darkly intimate hits in front of a massive crowd which hung on her every word and move. Emily Haines of Metric was in rare form on Saturday as the rock goddess led her band through some heavy-hitting deep cuts. The night would end in grandiose fashion with Childish Gambino returning to avenge last year’s cancelled show.  Gambino rolled out the crowd-pleasers and didn’t hold anything back for what might have been one of his last performances as Childish Gambino

Best of the Day:  Kali Uchis, Metric, Brittany Howard

Leaves More to be Desired:  Megan Thee Stallion

Sunday - Day 3

The final day of the two week invasion that is ACL, ended with what can be described as a grand finale of musical acts. Aussie hell raisers, Mallrat, served as a welcomed kick-in-the-teeth punk rock salutations to the day.  Only to be followed by Idles, who may be the most galvanizing yet raw band in the world right now.  The English punk outfit had a small but dedicated crowd that turned ACL into an anarchist mosh pit for the span of an hour. The dexterous and mesmerizing Gogo Penguin were themes technically music proficient group I saw all weekend and their mix of older jazz and blues with newer upbeat melodies made them incredibly magnetic. Houston songwriter turned performer, Wrabel, would unleash his heavenly voice on the BMI stage, and may have saddled himself as the candidate most likely to move up in stage size by next year’s fest. Third Eye Blind poured all of the nostalgia onto their audience, and even though they played “Motorcycle Driveby” it was not enough to escape the visceral feeling that the band was just going through the motions. The award for largest and most excitable crowd would go to Lizzo as her rising stardom and powerful live show coalesced into a magnificent spectacle of female and body-positivity empowerment. One could not ask for a better close to ACL than bringing the enigmatic Robyn to unleash her dance anthems on a weary ACL crowd in need of a pick me up.  While Robyn ambled through some of her slower tracks earlier on, she turned a corner and brought the fierce pop-electro fire that the crowd was asking to be bathed in.

Best of the Day:  Idles, Gogo Penguin, Lizzo

Leaves More to be Desired:  Third Eye Blind

Tough Age are a power pop trio on Mint Records spending most of their time in Toronto. They have a rather lengthy discography available on their bandcamp page which includes their latest release “Shame”. Earlier this year they released a video for the single “Me in Glue”. This tune is a catchy lo-fi rocker accompanied by a music video which shows the singer of the group having just a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. The guitar licks sound happy though! Tough Age will be playing a huge show at Junction City Music Hall on Saturday October 19^th with the legendary BA Johnston and pop punk extraordinaire’s First Base. – Kris Gies

Lavisher has released a new single, “Garment”, from their forthcoming debut album, Drastic Shadows, which will be released on October 18th via Nefarious Industries.

Lavisher is lead by the vocals and guitar of Gavin Cushman III, and this album follow’s their 2017 self-titled debut EP.

We cannot think of a better way to ignite your weekend than by presenting you to a group that blends the best of the '90s and '00s at the highest speed possible. Sneeze is pop-punk meets grunge vehemently and in ever-pleasing fashion: the group's brand new record Fin is filled with fuzzed-out riffs and heavy-handed drum fills that progress quickly toward mosh-inducing power-pop breakdowns. Take tracks like "Not in Service" as prime examples of the group’s ability to switch from rapid punk rhythms into intricate-swelling atmospheric segments that set up more instrumental madness. Just as you think you are catching your breath, the band has another progression too good not to bang your head to a la 2003. Tracks like "A Winter in Barcelona" flirt with nu-metal and showcase the group's instrumental proficiency and lust for noise. The Boston-based band is revving its engine for November dates throughout the West Coast, which are sure to be a good time. We are streaming the delightfully sinister track "Dark Earth" from the new record below. - Rene Cobar

It was the perfect Saturday at Mohawk for any seeking heart; the first breeze of Fall blessed Austin as Kishi Bashi and his band enchanted the audience with their orchestra ensemble, playing a mix of hits and songs off his new album Omoiyari – Japanese for Compassion. 

Kishi Bashi stood center on violin, playing with fervor, fun, and grace. Pip the Pansy stood to his left, with a black hat like a 70s lampshade and a flute in a quiver on her back. Creativity and sensitivity oozed from the stage and was met with the same from the audience. 

The sounds and lyrics of Omoiyari are whimsical and steeped in love, but the album’s narrative grounds itself in the historical and cultural context of the Japanese American internment camps during World War II. Kishi Bashi delves into a sociopolitical study of history in his songfilm, Omoiyari, and the lessons of empathy we can learn from a not distant past. Given the detention camps at our border and the festering schism in our country, Kishi Bashi’s album and artistry provides us with hope and a compass. The film is scheduled for release in early 2020. Let’s all go see it and then hang out with Kishi Bashi! 

Kishibashi introduced “Penny Rabbit and Summer Bear” as, “a song about love...that thing all we humans are looking for,” but many songs on the album are reminiscent of love. See “Marigolds;” he sings “I was the only one this century/ to remind you all is fine” and, “I wish I met you when your heart was safe to hold.” Or even, “Song for You,” that sings just like it sounds, “a song for you...it’s all for you.” 

The encore featured an audience favorite The Ballad for Mr.Steak with Mr. Steak himself, a walking steak! Once the steak exited the stage, an elegant white crane appeared behind Kishi Bashi. He closed the night with Summer of ‘42, penetrating my soul and bringing literal tears to my eyes, and there’s no way I was the only one. Every song, every note, everything about the performance felt genuine and carried out with the express interest to promote COMPASSION. Thank you, Kishi. Your art and compassion change the world! 

Melissa Green