Coming Up: ACL Weekend 2 2022

By Ashley Farnie
Assistant Music Director

We are in the midst of ACL season here in central Texas! Many traveling to Austin will fall in love with our city and contribute to the city’s overcrowding and housing crisis. But let’s focus on the festival…

This will be my second time attending ACL. I attended in 2019 and have since been to festivals of varying degrees, molding my opinion of the best way to experience live music. With the commercialization of music festivals, ACL has evolved from a festival showcasing musicians and the local scene of Austin to a branded, selected lineup of top 40 artists.

Most popular music festivals have the same lineup each year, focusing on headliners who are in a release period of music. C3 coordinates ACL and festivals of similar calibers, including Lollapalooza, Shaky Knees, and Voodoo.

As a journalist, I jump on any opportunity to cover shows and festivals. After an eventful SXSW and adventurous All Together Now, I was excited to spend a weekend at Zilker Park and experience covering a different festival setting. I have a small schedule planned for my weekend, but I plan to make the most of it alongside my fellow press at KTSW.

Friday is off my schedule – a student schedule and the music industry do not complement each other! Looking ahead at my schedule for Saturday, day 2 of weekend 2, I plan to catch Good Looks, Sloppy Jane, Wallows, and whoever I stumble upon who sounds of interest.

I look forward to prioritizing local music coverage at ACL, beginning the weekend with Good Looks. The Austin band is in the midst of touring, opening for acts including Craig Finn & The Uptown Controllers and Arlo McKinley. I have yet to catch a Good Looks set, but I am excited to check out the band after countless recommendations.

Following an avant-garde experimental orchestral rock performance by Sloppy Jane, I will be talking with frontwoman Haley Dahl. This will be my third time seeing the band perform (of which you can read about on the blog linked below), and I am excited to have a conversation with Haley about her flourishing creative career. Stay tuned for interview coverage after the weekend!

Despite my loss of interest since their 2019 album, I plan to catch Wallows’ set after Sloppy Jane. Kevin Grimmett of HUNNY has accompanied Wallows as of late, touring and playing guitar for the band. As a longtime fan of HUNNY, I intend to support their endeavors in any facet possible.

Hopefully, I won’t be too exhausted by the end of Day 1 to wake up and begin my Sunday at ACL! Day 2’s schedule has me stocked to catch Glove, Faye Webster or PinkPantheress, and The Marias.

I caught Glove at SXSW this year and enjoyed myself immensely at their set. Their recordings are incredible, but the experience of their experimental and electronic sound live is unbeatable. I look forward to beginning my afternoon with Glove before deciding between two tough sets!

I have reservations only because I recently saw Faye Webster open for HAIM a few months back. PinkPantheress’ debut album struck an interest in me in the hyper-pop genre that had not existed before. With critical acclaim from high-profile journals, the unique twist Vicky Beverly Walker puts on electronic beats transforms them into an ethereal sonic universe. The digestible nature of her quick tracks makes the album a repeatable listen, and I’m hoping it will allow me to run over to Faye’s lyrical set.

I had been recommended The Marias as an introduction to Spanglish indie music and could not take their 2018 track “Clueless” off repeat. I have been eager to catch the female-fronted band live and look forward to concluding my ACL 2022 experience in their presence.

Despite my overall disappointment in this year’s lineup, I look forward to the sets I have scheduled myself to attend and to a hopefully more freeform schedule overall. Time to rest up before the Texas sun drains my energy on this October weekend.

Sloppy Jane @ SXSW 2022: https://ktswblog.net/2022/04/02/saddest-factory-records-showcase-at-sxsw-2022/

Sloppy Jane @ Moody 2022: https://ktswblog.net/2022/05/30/sloppy-jane-opens-for-phoebe-bridgers/

Featured Image by bmi.