In the days leading up to the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival, I'm going to be giving brief previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage. I'm attending with Miss Mary Mack again this year, but as I'm planning my own schedule for the fest, I'm again facing the incontrovertible fact that I can't be in two (or even three) places at once. And I don't think anybody else has solved that problem. So for those of you wondering how in the world you're going to see Uncle Rock, the Old 97s, and Fleet Foxes Saturday at 12:30, I'll be giving just a little bit of information on the artists and bands playing down in that little AKL nook so you can plan your day accordingly.
First up, Buck Howdy with BB...
-- Official Website
-- YouTube channel
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives
Buck Howdy plays smooth Western swing -- the fact that the songs are sometimes about farting or the farm is just sort of a side note. Both Buck and his co-singer BB have great voices that meld really well together. And his fine album Chickens! (review) was nominated for a Grammy this past year.
So, yeah, this'll be a fun set. In fact, this might be one of the most country sets at the entire ACL 2008 festival.
Buck plays Saturday at 1:30, Sunday at 12:30.
Buck Howdy With BB, "Friends" (off Chickens!)
(One more video, from Giddyup!, after the jump.)
Video: "Bedhead" - The Jimmies
Proving that Dan Zanes and Beethoven's Wig aren't the only the only kids musicians that can sport an unconventional hairdo, the Jimmies have unleashed a whole series of unconventional hairdos for their fine new video.
It's for the rockin' song "Bedhead," and it can be viewed (along with all their other excellent videos) at their spiffy video player here.
Go.
Update: Ashley from the Jimmies reports that those 4 videos, along with 2 more will be on an upcoming DVD, along with a "behind-the-scenes doc, sing-along karaoke versions of the songs, general shenanigans and, yes, the fabled live concert, complete with giant tap dancing robot." What can go wrong with a tap dancing robot? (Don't answer that.) Oh, and the band is planning something else really cool, but I'm not going to jinx it by mentioning it now...
Video: The Nields and "Rock All Day, Rock All Night"
I've been spinning The Nields' new 2-CD family album Rock All Day, Rock All Night for a little while now, and since I think you'll be hearing more about the album throughout the fall, I thought it'd be worth mining YouTube for a few cuts from the album...
One track, "Superhero Soup," dates all the way back to the Nields' first album, 66 Hoxsey Street, from 1992. It's a goofy little track, which in this version is interrupted by the introduction of the band, but it's from just a few weeks ago...
The Nields - "Superhero Soup"
Three more clips to enjoy following the jump...
Barenaked in the Bathroom
Really.
OK, not really. Just Ed Robertson from the Barenaked Ladies restarting his "Bathroom Sessions" with 3 videos entitled "Bathroom Snacks" featuring songs from the BNL kids' album Snacktime, natch. I'm assuming these were recorded before Ed's recent plane crash, but maybe Ed's just an incredibly resilient person.
Barenaked Ladies (Ed Robertson) - "There's A Word"
I love the fact that the "word for that" actually appears on the screen. Oh, and if you want to learn the chords, you're totally able to do so thanks to the framing.
The other two videos after the jump.
Beethoven's Wig Enters Rarified... er... Hair
Richard Perlmutter's Beethoven's Wig crashed through the 2-sequel barrier that seems to be the limit with most popular entertainment with the release a couple weeks ago of Beethoven's Wig 4: Live Free or Die Hard Dance-Along Symphonies. You might not think goofy lyrical adaptations of classical music showhorses would lend themselves to YouTube, but I think this does the job about as well as could be expected, with a blend of in-concert performance and animation...
Video: "Bedtime Lullaby" - Mark Kozelek
This is waaay too dreamy to start off the week with, but I can't resist. Compared to the rest of Yo Gabba Gabba!, which can seem like it's aching to be painfully hip, this video is a peaceful respite. The music is by Mark Kozelek, and it's sweet, but it's the appropriately dreamy and slightly surreal visuals from Lippy that make it worth 90 seconds of your time.
