ACL 2015 – Tunes & Eats

Weekend 1 of ACL 2015 – ch-ch-check!  This was my third ACL in a row with Emily, my college roommate {the blondie pictured above}, and we’ve got our fest process down.  Luckily for Em, I learned the hard lesson of over-doing it my first year.  I was soooooo excited to live in Austin, the weather was perfect, I was bouncing from stage to stage with two college buddies, I thought after-partying was a good idea, and I thought after-after-partying was an even better idea.  Day 2 of the festival was miserable.  I stood sickly in the rain as I feigned excitement over Metric, walked a soaking wet walk home, changed into PJs, ordered Chinese food, and gave my wrist band away for the remainder of the fest.

So like I said, things are totally different now.  First off, we eat and we eat well!  Since I live walking distance to Zilker Park, we were able to stop at one of my neighborhood favorites, Cafe Josie, for a line-less {yet fabulous} lunch.  I veered from my usual goat ribs order and went with the redfish tacos and an aperitif. I’m super obsessed with aperitifs lately.  So herby and refreshing, they’re my lunch cocktail of choice.

After arriving and splitting a bottle of white wine {they come in reusable water bottles and are most definitely the way to go}, we walked straight to the HomeAway stage to watch Albert Hammond Jr., who was one of the first bands I discovered on Sirius XMU in 2006.  I haven’t gotten much into his new albums, but I loved that he played so many tunes from Yours to Keep, like In Transit, 101, and Everyone Gets a Star. It was nostalgia at its finest.

The rest of the day was non-stop.  We went straight from Albert Hammond Jr. to Leon Bridges, Brand New, Tame Impala, and Foo Fighters.  Although I don’t have a video of Leon Bridges, he’s a must see. A young gentleman from Fort Worth, Leon’s soulfully vintage sound is sure to make you feel good. And gracefully skipping over Brand New, Tame Impala was my favorite of the day.  Balancing established hits and tracks from their newest album, Tame Impala’s playlist was ideal for old and new fans, alike. And lastly, Foo Fighters. Playing a decent set, they allowed the older members of the crowd {like me!} to cross things like hearing Everlong live off their bucket list.

After eating well and a tune filled day, my best advice is to go home early {skip that after party}, SLEEP, and do it all again.  Oh! And fit in a Juiceland trip when you can.

We kicked off Day 2 with green smoothies, pulled ourselves together, and re-kicked off Day 2 by heading to South Congress and putting our name on the list at South Congress Cafe.  My advice for a trip to South Congress Cafe is to never go starving and always have the desire to shop.  They’ll take down your number and text when your table is ready, which is likely an hour later.  That hour will give you plenty of time to shop the strip {Parts & Labour, Y & I, Maya Star, By George, Allen’s Boots, Uncommon Objects}.  I ordered the burger with smoked gouda, crispy prosciutto, and caramelized onion and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Crispy prosciutto was like a heavenlier version of bacon {if you can imagine such a thing}.  And the fries were on point!

Day 2’s lineup wasn’t super impressive {to us}, so we took our time heading back to the house and then to the fest.  We stayed for most of Alabama Shakes, but when Em noticed there wasn’t much of a crowd gathering in front of the Miller Lite stage, we darted over for a front row TV on the Radio spot.  Not much was played from my fav album, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, but Tunde Adebimpe’s powerful voice and indie-rock-before-indie-rock-was-adult-comtemporary dance moves were more than enough to satisfy this old fan.

We ended the music portion of the night on that high note and chose watching the Gators WHOOP Ole Miss at the beer tent over listening to Drake.  You gotta love a Texas festival’s appreciation for college football!

Day 3 started off with a mutual favorite, Josephine House.  Ever since Em’s first visit, we’ve joked about {and ordered} a bevy of beverages.  Before the food arrived, our table was filled with waters, French press coffees, and Jo House Fruit Cups {Old Overholt Rye, muddled lemon, lime, orange, mint, cucumber, house fruit cup blend}.  Not wanting to commit to total savory or total sweet, we split the lemon ricotta pancakes {which I’ve uncharacteristically eaten about three times this month because they’re that good} and short rib hash.  We left full and ready to take on our last day fest-ing day.

Beginning with Strand of Oaks and The Decemberists, I could only half pay attention because I just wanted it to be Kurt Vile time.  I missed seeing Kurt Vile at Fun Fun Fun Fest a few years back and seeing him play was my top priority this year.  And he didn’t disappoint.  Standing at the shady stage on a sunshiny but breezy day, we got a little Jesus Fever, Pretty Pimpin’, Goldtone, and Wakin on a Pretty Day.  At that point, I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

And then The Strokes played.  It was too dark, too dance-y, and too far away for a video, but wow!  I heard a lot of rubbish and forecasted disappointment over The Strokes headlining Weekend 1 and, although I disagreed plenty before, I soap-box-style disagreed afterward.  The Strokes have been relevant for almost two decades, were pioneers in making indie rock accessible, and were likely influential to half the bands that play at ACL each year.  That, in conjunction with putting on a solid rock ‘n’ roll performance, made them the perfect last taste of my ACL 2015 weekend!

‘Til next year, ACL!