ACL 2007 in Polaroids
my morning jacket at ACL '07
This year's trip to Austin for the ACL Festival was all about the extracurriculars. That's not to say the festival didn't have it's fair share of highlights, however. Although slightly depressing, Sound Team's final show was really great, providing a bittersweet end to the band's way-too-short career. At least two-thirds of us* are now officially My Morning Jacket fans after their stellar set before a radiant sunset. A small suggestion for the esteemed ACL Advisory Board: more hip-hop next year? Common and M.I.A.'s sets were fun as hell, and both were among the most energetic and well-received of the entire festival. We were also impressed by bits and pieces of several other sets, including Bloc Party, Regina Spektor, and LCD Soundsystem. Our lone regret of the weekend: no Bjork sightings. Seems like everyone but us bumped into her at our hotel pool, and her set was one of the most unanimously lauded of the fest. We did run into a bunch of other people though:
maya arulpragasam
win butler
jeff tweedy
kele okereke
james murphy
bill baird (after he and murphy swapped sunglasses)
farmer jim james of mmj
andrew bird
The Hot Freaks! after-parties were even better than we'd anticipated. Friday's performances by Crazy Sexy Rainbow, Brazos, and Grizzly Bear were all outstanding. As YANP mentioned, the cliffs of Club Deville provided the ideal backdrop for Grizzly Bear's ethereal jams, and the Super Alright! dudes did an amazing job of hooking up the complementary visuals. We missed Art Brut, instead opting to check out last-minute addition Car Stereo (Wars)' killer DJ set. Members of the Arcade Fire were in attendance, and even the Killers stopped by to check out Grizzly Bear, which Ed Droste dubbed "the most random thing ever." I think Brandon Flowers' mind was slightly blown by GB's incredible set, and rightfully so:
brandon flowers (with that other guy from the killers)
edward droste
eddie argos
Saturday's Hot Freaks! bill delivered as well. Locals Sparrow House and Yellow Fever had the misfortune of competing with the Arcade Fire's festival set, but both won over the gradually-building crowds. The Rosebuds were up next, and as per usual with them, a dance party broke out on stage. The joint was packed by the time St. Vincent took the stage at the Mohawk, and she didn't disappoint. She played solo at the fest, but this was a full-band affair, and the packed house fell in love.
annie clark
daniel rossen + edward droste
Check out more random Polaroids from the weekend after the jump...
(*Most shots by David, with a few by Garrison and myself. I'm not just using the "royal we" this time. Thanks to JBeau, Michael Feferman, Fresh & Clean, and everyone else who was nice to us.)
peter bjorn and john (with big guitar)
drew barrymore
tom hagerman of devotchka
colin meloy
chris bear of grizzly bear
joseph arthur (by tamara gallegos)
alex turner of the arctic monkeys (with other monkeys in distance)
britt daniel (by micki lile)
Sound Team bid the world adieu in fitting fashion
the fire
ben kweller
chris taylor of grizzly bear