... it's just that nobody, not even the organizers, know who it is yet.

Remember yesterday, when I mentioned the 2010 Austin Kiddie Limits lineup and thought that that might not be the end of it?

Well, I was right. That's because you have a chance to win an Austin Kiddie Limits performing slot. Kidzapalooza producer Tor Hyams set up the contest, and the winner gets the opportunity to perform 2 20-minutes sets (par for the course there on the AKL stage), plus $1,000, all access/backstage pass, and free food. (I've seen the artists' catering -- it's pretty good.) Might not work for a full band flying in from out of state, but I bet some artists closer to the area could swing it. Entries due August 7.

(And if you're far away, perhaps you'd like to join in on a podcast with Tor.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, the lineup for the 2010 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival is out and there, in the tiny type at the end, is the initial set of bands for the Austin Kiddie Limits stage. I'd known about a few of these, but some -- The Verve Pipe! -- come as a big surprise to me (in a good way...)

The Verve Pipe
Frances England
The Jellydots
Elizabeth Mitchell
Okee Dokee Brothers
Tom Freund
Paul Green School of Rock
Q Brothers

Now, there were 10 acts total (plus guest artists) at last year's edition, so a couple more names could be added at some point, but even as it is that is one solid lineup.

As for the rest of the schedule (y'know, for the adults in the crowd), I'm underwhelmed by the names at the top of the card. I mean, they're OK, but I'm not geeked about them (like my Muse-obsessed neighbor would be). But there are enough folks on the undercard (LCD Soundsystem, Spoon, Sonic Youth, Robert Randolph, many more) that it should be an excellent three days...

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

So I've talked a lot about Austin Kiddie Limits and the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival generally. (Need proof? Here's Day 1, part 1, Day 1, part 2, Day 2, and Day 3.)

I thought I'd wrap up my coverage with a few final thoughts and suggestions for improvement about the AKL stage, plus add a few pictures.

1. The revised stage configuration of this year's AKL stage was an improvement. Less sound bleeding from the Xbox 360 stage next door meant that the AKL artists were never drowned out. Yay! And maybe it was just my imagination (or possibly the cooler weather), but the new layout seemed blessed with more shade.

2. It's still too loud between sets. Lord knows we're big fans of Romeo and his BBoy City crew (quite possibly Miss Mary Mack's favorite part of the festival this year), but they're forced to crank the volume to a point that it drives all the families away from the stage. Perhaps next year they can swap the dance stage and the pottery/kefia tents so that it's pretty close to the stage and the volume can be reduced.

3. There are probably points where the sound on the AKL stage during sets can be reduced -- I could hear 23 Skidoo's set close to half a mile away as we were crossing Lady Bird Lake.

4. Moving on to the weather -- I will gladly take a chance of (or actual) rain in return for cooler weather. I'm so glad that the festival's been gradually pushed back into October and am happy to see it further pushed back to the second week of October (Oct. 8-10, 2010) next year.

5. The guest sets have been really cool, and I'd love to see them used even more to drive families to see bands they wouldn't have seen otherwise. That was the case for me with K'Naan on Friday. I also got a chance to meet Ben Sollee backstage briefly on Sunday before heading back to Arizona, and based on this clip of Sollee covering "Wild World" later that day, I have a feeling that if I'd seen him at the AKL stage playing his cello, I'd have been sure to see him later that day on a bigger stage. (Though it should be noted, I did see him playing with Abigail Washburn the year before.)

6. The fact that the AKL stage hosted both K'Naan and Ben Sollee, both Mr. Leebot and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, speaks to the fact that the stage can handle a fair amount of diversity, which is somewhat reflective of the ACL Festival as a whole. There's obviously only so much diversity you can have when you've got just 8-10 acts playing a set or two, but I encourage Tor to continue mixing it up as much as possible.

7. Can these festivals really be done with families? Well, it's definitely hard work, but if you're willing to sacrifice some of your own needs (sorry, Karen O, maybe next time), you can definitely see a lot. I'm conflicted because I have to balance my own musical tastes with that of my kids with my need to cover the festival (and the AKL stage in particular) on the press pass with the fact that my family lives in Austin and I want to see them, too. Sometimes I felt like I did none of those things well. But the AKL stage is situated about as well as it can be to serve as a base station for families exploring the festival. (And, hey, there's always babysitters.)

8. Finally, thanks to everyone at C3, particularly Tor, for making the AKL stage (and the press area) run so smoothly. Hope everyone reading got a good sense of the weekend of fun... Pictures after the jump...

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits (ACL Fest) 2009: Final Thoughts" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Believe it or not I spent some time at the rest of the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival. I have so many conflicting obligations when I visit the Festival, that I never feel like I see enough of the non-Austin Kiddie Limits music. The first part of the day was cool enough, but it was time for the adult in me to enjoy a little music without the kids. So after helping my wife, Miss Mary Mack, and Little Boy Blue get back to downtown Austin (they're not quite the festival hounds I am), I finally made it back to Zilker Park and made my to the Wildflower Center stage to see K'naan.

Every year there's one performance I didn't quite anticipate that ends up blowing me away. K'naan's set, or at least the last 30 minutes that I caught, was that experience for this year. How good was this Canadian hip-hop artist originally born in Somalia? I bought his album Troubadour at the Waterloo tent pretty much right after his set ended. His set-closing performance of "Wavin' Flag," of which he did an abbreviated version that I half-caught at the Austin Kiddie Limits stage, might very well be the single best musical experience I've had in 3 years of attending ACL. This YouTube clip can't do it complete justice, of course, but the way he works the crowd together freestyling for about 6 minutes before launching into the music is masterful. "When I get older / I will be stronger / They'll call me freedom / Just like a wavin' flag / And then it goes back / And then it goes back / And then it goes back." I'm still singing this nearly a week later.

K'naan - "Wavin' Flag" (Live @ Austin City Limits Festival 2009)

K'naan - "Bang Bang" (Live @ Austin City Limits Festival 2009)

On my way to the Waterloo tent after his set, I stopped by the BMI stage to hear the Greencards (nice bluegrass with a hint of gypsy and non-North American influences). After picking up the CDs, I made my way over the Xbox 360 stage to hear Them Crooked Vultures, a supergroup featuring Dave Grohl on drums, Josh Homme on guitar, and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. I'm not sure I'd buy their album and listen on a regular basis, but in a live setting on a beautiful evening, they absolutely rocked. Even a kajillion miles away I could see Grohl drumming away, grinning like Animal. Makes me happy everytime I seem him drum.

Them Crooked Vultures - "Mind Eraser" (Live @ Austin City Limits Festival 2009)

And, conveniently, I just needed to turn around and see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs open up on the AMD stage. But by that point it was getting late and I knew I had another 45 minutes (or more) of traveling before seeing my family again. So I stayed for 3 songs of Karen O and her boys, then took off in the perfect Austin night.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Runaway" (Live @ Austin City Limits Festival 2009)

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On to Day 3 of the Austin City Limits Festival 2009, or at least the Austin Kiddie Limits stage. (If you missed it, read my thoughts and watch YouTube from Days 1 and 2 here and here.

So remember all that rain from Saturday? Remember the nice green grass the city had installed with C3's money with great fanfare?

It wasn't, like, Glastonbury mud, but it was deep enough in some places that, as Gwyneth noted to me, it felt like it could suck the shoes right off.

Anyway, after meandering through the media area and (ever-so-briefly) the Artists' Lounge (cleaner than the media area, and with ice cream), we (Miss Mary Mack and I) headed to see Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears from backstage. Saw Bill and his family up there. Jammed to the last few songs of the set. Made our way through the mud to the AKL stage. There we saw Ralph's World play their second set of the festival. Ralph Covert has a pretty tight band at this point, and he's got his live act down pat...

Ralph's World - "The Rhyming Circus"

Ralph's World - "Dumptruck"

Ralph's World - "Sunny Day Rainy Day Anytime Band" (particularly apropos for the weekend, always a good set closer)

After Ralph, Romeo and the guys from BBoy City came on and did their stuff, which is pretty incredible and has been each year. Might have been Miss Mary Mack's favorite part of the festival...

(Check out this last one. Oh my.)

At this point, it was either fight the mud and crowds to catch the second half of the B-52s' set or stick around at AKL. And while I'd've been willing, asking Miss Mary Mack to do that before a long series of transportation options that would park us back home 5 hours later was too much.

Of course, at least we got to see another Secret Agent 23 Skidoo set...

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - "Boogieman"

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - "The Whalephant" (new, unreleased track)

And then we skidaddled across the mud, onto the shuttle bus, into the car, and after many more transportation changes, made it back home. I'm not finished yet with my AKL/ACL thoughts -- more to come...

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I know, I know -- I was so diligent about posting my thoughts about Day 1 of the Austin City Limits Festival 2009 (or at least the Austin Kiddie Limits portion thereof).

And now it's a full 48 hours later after Saturday's Day 2 mudfest, and I still haven't posted my thoughts. So let's get moving, eh?

We did get an earlier start on Saturday morning, and found a parking spot fairly quickly, but even so, we pretty much only caught the last 2 songs of Mr. Leebot's AKL debut. Lee was energetic, trying to get the rained-upon crowd moving.

Did I forget to mention it was raining? That it rained for, oh, most of Saturday? That I would still prefer my music festivals rainy and cool than hot and dry? Well, I would.

Mr. Leebot - "Robot Dance"

As I noted to Lee later that weekend, although it was raining for his set, nobody was flinging mud at him a la Green Day circa Woodstock '94.

Then it was time to get lunch, so we moved out to the Food Court (mmmm... cones from Hudson's on the Bend) and, desirous to get out of the rain, after we ate we went to the Wildflower Center stage, which besides having a really good set of artists has a solid roof. We enjoyed 30 minutes of a (not literally) roof-raising set from the Gospel group the Soul Stirrers (Sam Cooke's old band), then made our way back to the AKL stage.

Walking back to the AKL stage from behind the stage, you would have been forgiven if you thought that it was a guest artist set. The music from Quinn Sullivan did not sound like it should be coming from someone who could have gotten in free with a paying adult. Not kids music, but pretty amazing. Packed crowd, and when Sullivan said, "This was cool -- I hope I get to do this next year," I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought, "Yeah, on one of the other, bigger stages."

Then we stuck around for Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, who I was eager to see. Skidoo brought a full compliment for the show including his daughter Saki, performing on stage and not fazed in the least by the crowd out there. Good set, though I'm wondering if maybe the bass was a bit loud -- as we left after the set early so that my wife and the kids could go home early with the Official Brother of Zooglobble, we could hear "Gotta Be Me"... from about a third of a mile away.

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - "I Like Fruit"

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - "Sleepover"

After I came back across the bridge after dropping off my family with my brother, I was hoping to see more, but Lunch Money's set had started late, and between that and the rain, traipsing off throughout the rest of the festival seemed more of a pain than was worthwhile considering I had to leave shortly for another engagement.

Lunch Money worked harder than probably any other band at working through the "this is what you do in this song to be interactive" motions. Here they solicited foods that did the kids wrong, right, and had never been tried. You sort of take for granted that people know how to act at concerts, but those are learned traits, and it's just as important to learn the rock show rules of the road than the children's theatre rules of the road.

Lunch Money - "Ate Too Much of My Favorite Food"

If I have one regret from the Lunch Money sets it's that I didn't hear them play many of their quieter songs. Having said that, live, the band rocks harder than on record. Watch out Rush, the band's looking to claim your power trio crown.

Sad to have missed Milkshake's second set (though I did hear a song as I dashed back at one point to collect our stuff) and Ralph's World first set. Not to worry, though, Ralph was playing Sunday....

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Day 1 of the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival is in the books, and what did we learn? Apparently leaving a little later, great weather, and threats of rain for the rest of the weekend makes parking in downtown Austin a lot harder to find. As opposed to getting downtown around 11 AM, we got there around 12:30 PM, and it took us a good 20 minutes to find parking. By the time we actually found a spot, walked to Republic Park, took the shuttle, got our wristbands, and found our bearings in the media tent, it was 2:00 PM. So, sorry, Stoosh! Our bad, Paul Green School of Rock All Stars (I've seen you plenty, though)! And really sorry to have missed The Telephone Company. Maybe Sunday, guys!

But even with missing half of Friday's Austin Kiddie Limits stage, we still had a good time. They've changed the layout this year, so that the stage is on the east end of the area, facing (north)west, and the whole layout seems shadier. Or maybe it was just the 74-degree weather. Anyway, we got there in plenty of time to see Milkshake take the stage. They put on a good 25-minute-or-so set, mostly stuff from their new album Great Day, along with some older material.

One of the things I like about AKL (and ACL in general) is that artists do feel the need to step up their game a bit. So I don't know if Milkshake normally brings a couple dozen inflatable baseball beach balls for "Baseball" (they probably do), or if the band brings graying wigs for "When I'm Old," but it just shows the band's trying. Also, Milkshake in particular, with six folks in the band, sounds good live on stage. Kids on the ground seemed to enjoy it.

Milkshake - "When I'm Old" (Live)

Milkshake - "Enemies" (Live)

After Milkshake was a brief set from K'naan, which I couldn't pay full attention to because I was shuttling Little Boy Blue from activity to activity (including green punk hairdo), but I really liked.

K'naan - "Take a Minute" (Live) (for what it's worth, there were a fair number of kids, despite what the uploader says)

Then Lunch Money. It's OK, guys, you do indeed rock. Lots of dancing and a good-sized crowd (for AKL, anyway). They're also getting really good at incorporating crowd participation into their songs. Here's a new(-ish) song, with a couple more familiar ones to follow:

Lunch Money - "Spicy Kids" (Live)

Lunch Money - "Are You a Rabbit?" (Live)

Lunch Money - "Roller Coaster" (Live)

OK, there's more to talk about, but it's time to head back to Zilker Park before the skies open up.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In years past, I've done a much more thorough job breaking down the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the Austin City Limits Festival. This year, you're going to have to make do with a more abbreviated post.

Which doesn't mean the lineup isn't worth the effort; on the contrary, it's the most solid top-to-bottom lineup in the event's history. Anybody with a kid in tow at the festival can stop by at any given point and be guaranteed to hear something worth hearing, either some great artists for kids, or some kids doing amazing stuff. Here's the schedule -- some live YouTubery after the jump.

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2009 Preview" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Well, the 2009 Austin City Limits Festival schedule is out and Austin Kiddie Limits is part of the fun, of course. Half the fun is planning the AKL stages around the shows in the rest of the park you want to see. (The other half is, of course, watching those finely made plans be blown to bits by the fact that your kids can't be marshalled around at will. It's good parenting training, actually.)

Anyway, here goes...

Friday, Oct. 2
11:30 - 11:50 Stoosh (ex-Loose Cannons folks)
12:30 - 12:50 Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars
1:30 - 1:50 Telephone Company
2:30 - 2:50 Milkshake
3:15 - 3:30 Special Guest
3:30 - 4:00 Lunch Money

Lots of good stuff going on in the afternoon -- Asleep at the Wheel, Medeski Martin & Wood, Blitzen Trapper. Good thing a lot of those folks are playing later in the weekend... As for the special guest, I'm pretty sure Andrew Bird's above Tor's pay grade (and his crowds would overrun the AKL area), but that's my vote.

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2009 Schedule Set" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The lineup for the 2009 Austin City Limits Festival (Oct. 2-4) has been announced, including the Austin Kiddie Limits stage...

Ralph's World
Milkshake
Q Brothers
Telephone Company
Lunch Money

... are definitely there. It's unclear whether Quinn Sullivan, Palm School Elementary, and Loose Cannons are playing the AKL stage or one of the other stages. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is also listed (at his site) as performing at AKL, so I'm kinda thinking there are a couple more acts to be added.

Top of the bill is a little OK, not great (Pearl Jam, Dave Mathews, Beastie Boys); it's the undercard, as always, that's where it's at (Levon Helm, Sonic Youth, Lily Allen, Blitzen Trapper, etc.) And for those of you looking for (potential) kids stage cameos, look no further than Medeski Martin & Wood, Terri Hendrix, and Andrew Bird...

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, it's been more than a week since I arrived in Austin for this year's Austin City Limits Festival, so it's probably time I wrap up all my writing on the topic and move on to something else. (Is there some other festival this weekend?) For those of you looking for the week's notes, look no further than my archives. To conclude, a few big-picture thoughts on the festival as it was, along with some on how it could be.

ACL Fest is an exceedingly well-run festival.
I mean, when the worst things you can say about the weekend is that the sounds from sets occasionally bled into one another (Alejandro Escovedo had his amps turned up, making the Swell Season set not quite as hushed as it might have been) and that there could probably be a few more water fountains, well, then, you done good. Sets started on time, shuttle buses were plentiful, there were lots of things to do, and the grounds were about as immaculate as you could expect. (Seriously, they decided to give t-shirts and other swag away to people who brought recyclables back in big plastic bags. What a genius idea -- I'm not sure I saw a single stray can or plastic bottle the entire weekend.)

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Final Thoughts" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I've been writing a lot about the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival and about the Austin Kiddie Limits stage in particular, but I thought I'd let Miss Mary Mack have a few words about her experience...

Zooglobble: So who was your favorite musician or band?
Miss Mary Mack: Uncle Rock. [That's her rendition of Uncle Rock there on the left -- that's Robert's 9-year-old son Jack, who accompanied him on stage, wearing his big hat on the right.]

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: The View from Miss Mary Mack" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As I'm starting to wrap up coverage of the 2008 Austin City Limits Festival and the Austin Kiddie Limits stage, I thought it might be nice to add some video to go along with the pictures and words I've been posting. So read on ahead for a whole bunch of sights and sounds (simultaneously) from this weekend's activities. Not just the usual suspects -- the Jimmies and Uncle Rock and Buck Howdy -- but also some other artists and other stages...

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: The Festival in Video" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After two days of hanging around mostly with Miss Mary Mack at the Austin Kiddie Limits stage (not to mention the Family Music Meltdown 2), I thought it was important that she experience some other genres of music in other parts of Zilker Park. So after getting to the park after noon, we went over to the AT&T stage on the east side of the park to catch Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck. I thought she might dig the violin and banjo action. It was also early enough in the day that I felt like I could put her on my shoulders without offending the people behind me (because, at 12:30, I could still get close enough to feel, well, close, even at the back of the non-chair-sitting crowd). Washburn has spent a number of years in China, and so when she sang Chinese folk songs in a bluegrass arrangement, it didn't sound anywhere near as pretentious as you might think reading that description. In fact, it sounded, well, cool. But by about halfway through their set, we were getting hungry, so we left as the quartet riffed their way through "Eleanor Rigby."

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 3 Report" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We made it! To Day 2! After a nice breakfast/brunch with the family, Miss Mary Mack headed back out to downtown Austin, snagged a shuttle, and made it to Zilker Park in time for most of Uncle Rock's Saturday set. I figured that since Saturday would involve not only ACL but also aftershows (i.e., Family Music Meltdown 2), we could get there a little late. Unfortunately that meant missing Jambo's set, but since we'd seen him Friday (not to mention last year), I figured that'd be OK. Uncle Rock's set contained some music from yesterday's set (the superhero medley, for example), but also some new stuff (compared to Friday), but because I'm not the assiduous set list chronicler that Gwyneth is, I couldn't tell you what that new stuff was. Here he is performing with Abu from the Lannaya Dance Troupe that's been showing off African dance during the breaks all weekend. He did wear his big black shirt, which, I gotta tell you, must have helped him sweat off a bunch of fluid, because it was slightly warmer Saturday...

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 2 Report" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, do you really want to know how tiring a musical festival can be? At some point late in the afternoon on Friday, Day 1 of the Austin City Limits Festival, 2008 edition, as I left the media tent, I realized that I was missing my green wide-brimmed hat. I turned around, looked at the computer area for it -- not there. I went to the media area's welcome table and asked if somebody had turned in a green hat. One of the ladies there looked at me and said, "You know, you've got one hanging around your neck..."

So the first thing you need to know about a festival is that it can be an utterly exhausting experience, even if you're the type of person who handles utterly exhausting experiences well (as I do).

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2008: Day 1 Report" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sorry, no photos to share yet. Figured you wouldn't be interested in the photos from the airport. I have learned, however, several things.

1. I'm lousy at Wii bowling. Worse than in real life. (Less than 100? Really. Pah.)
2. Miss Mary Mack is pretty darn good at Wii bowling. Better than me, and much better than in real life.
3. I'm lousy at Wii golf. This, however, closely matches my actual golf skills.
4. Miss Mary Mack is an excellent questioner. She grilled the Official Brother and Sister-In-Law of Zooglobble at dinner. At this point, I figure I'm having her ask all the questions in the interviews tomorrow and after the AKL stage shuts down I'm sending her off to Mississippi just in case.

I just wrote down my list of activities for tomorrow, and I'll be amazed if I don't fall asleep on the shuttle ride back home.

Go ahead, look at the Day 1 schedule... anything I shouldn't miss?

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, Miss Mary Mack and I are hanging out at the airport. We've made it through security, Miss Mary Mack's e-mailed her teacher a couple photos, and I've just tweaked my (our) schedule for the whole of Austin City Limits Festival 2008.

Voila!

It is still too crowded -- there's no way I can be at 3 shows at once, and after you throw in interviews and a 2nd grader in the mix, clearly this is half realism, half insanity. But I'm an experienced ACL / Austin Kiddie Limits veteran now, as is Miss Mary Mack, so I think we'll be OK.

I'll try to post throughout the weekend -- we'll see how successful I am in that regard.

I'm obviously bringing the computer with me, though I'll probably only be checking at non-festival hours. If you're there, e-mail me and we'll try to say hello.

And don't forget -- Family Music Meltdown 2. Saturday, 6 PM, Ruta Maya, just $5, free for infants.

Woo. Hoo.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, if I don't finish this series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival soon, I'll never finish. So I'm going to wrap up by briefly mentioning the rest of the artists. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock, Jambo, The Jimmies, Big Don, mr.RAY.)

First off, the Q Brothers:
-- Official Website
-- Myspace page

The Q Brothers are the other hip-hop artist(s) to play AKL this year. They performed last year. I didn't see 'em perform on stage, but I did see them teach a whole bunch of kids how to scratch and rap at their booth between sets. They'll be doing that again this year.

The Q Brothers play 12:30 Friday.

The Q Brothers - Promo for "Funk It Up About Nothin'" (a promo for a blend of Shakespeare and hip-hop)

More artists after the jump...

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: The Rest of the Weekend" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're nearing the end of our ongoing series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival. Today it's mr. RAY. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock, Jambo, The Jimmies, Big Don.)

First, the technical specs...
-- Official Website (or here if you're British)
-- Videos
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives.

mr. RAY might just be the biggest artist to play the AKL stage this year... if you're British. That's right, the New Jersey-based mr. RAY (aka Ray Andersen) is signed to Universal Records for the UK and Ireland and has a big following across the pond. Here in the US, his fanbase isn't quite as big yet, perhaps, but those of you in Austin next weekend will get a chance to hear his Beatles-y pop for preschoolers and see what'll definitely be the coolest guitar on stage barring the surprise appearance of Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen.

mr. RAY plays 1:30 Saturday, 2:30 Sunday.

mr. RAY - "Roy G. Biv"

One more video after the jump.

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: mr. RAY" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're continuing our ongoing series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival. Today it's Big Don. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock, Jambo, The Jimmies.)

First, the technical specs...
-- Official Website
-- Videos
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives, though this entry is it for the moment.

For those of you thinking you can't break into Austin Kiddie Limits, Big Don (aka Austin hip hop artist Don Robinson) proves ya wrong. How do I know? When I was at Austin Kiddie Limits last year, I got a copy of Big Don's Big Beat... because somebody was passing them out to any interested party. I'm assuming Tor Hyams was one of those people who got the CD, too. Anyway, the album is nothing too complicated, just good, solid hip hop for preschoolers, mostly. I have no idea how he'll be in concert, but I'm looking forward to bopping along.

Big Don plays at 2:30 on Friday and 11:30 Sunday.

Big Don - "Humpty Dumpty"

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another day, another entry in my ongoing series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival. Today -- The Jimmies. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock, Jambo.)

First, the technical specs...
-- Official Website
-- Videos
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives, including an interview with lead Jimmy ("lead Jimmie"?) Ashley Albert.

The Jimmies will rock harder than anyone else at the AKL stage next weekend with the possible exception of the Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars, and is the School of Rock bringing a giant tap-dancing robot? I didn't think so. Well, neither are the Jimmies, but they've brought one to a concert taping before, so they've got that going for them. Anyway, their debut album Make Your Own Someday features some great powerpop and a sense of humor that will greatly amuse your seven-year-old. And probably you.

The Jimmies play at 3:30 Saturday and 2:30 Sunday. Bring your own tap-dancing robot.

The Jimmies - "Do The Elephant"

More videos, including the much-loved "Spanimals," after the jump...

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: The Jimmies" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In my ongoing series of previews of the artists who will be playing the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the 2008 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival, next up is Jambo. (Previous artists: Buck Howdy with BB, Uncle Rock).

First, the technical specs...
-- Official Website
-- YouTube channel
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives

Whereas Uncle Rock explores the "rock" side of roots rock, Jambo (AKA Steve Pierson and his band), from Southern California, explores the bluesier side of roots rock. Not in any "my baby left me" sort of way, but he does play a pretty slick guitar. Oh, he also sings about ladybugs, dogs, and other topics left virtually unexplored by, say, BB King. Jambo is one of the AKL veterans -- they played the stage last year -- so he'll at least be smart enough not to wear something insanely warm. And it'll be a good, solid set.

Jambo plays Friday at 1:30, and Saturday at 11:30 as well.

Jambo - "Where Do They Go?" (Live)

One more live video after the jump.

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: Jambo" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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. This is the second in the series (Buck Howdy with BB's preview is here).

So, first are the technical specs for Uncle Rock...
-- Official Website
-- YouTube channel
-- Myspace page
-- Zooglobble archives

Uncle Rock (AKA Robert Burke Warren), from upstate New York, plays all-ages roots rock. But he doesn't limit himself just to straight-ahead roots rock. His latest album, Uncle Rock U., shows Warren's willingness to assume character personas in song, play homage to James Brown, and generally have lots of fun. Given his background playing bass for the Fleshtones and portraying Buddy Holly in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, it should be a solid live show.

Uncle Rock kicks off the AKL stage on Friday at 11:30, and plays Saturday at 12:30 as well.

Uncle Rock - "Break A Few Eggs" (Live)

My favorite Uncle Rock video, plus one more from his latest album, is after the jump.

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: Uncle Rock" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.)

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits 2008 Preview: Buck Howdy with BB" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few weeks ago, the Austin City Limits and Austin Kiddie Limits lineup was announced, now comes the hard part -- figuring out what shows you're gonna see at this year's ACL Festival.

Austin Kiddie Limits lineup after the jump. Now updated for a totally revised schedule. Oh, and I hope you're not a big fan of both Beck andRobert Plant and Alison Krauss, 'cuz your Saturday night will now be fraught with confusion...

Continue reading "Austin Kiddie Limits: Schedule Set, Let Schedule-Balancing Begin." »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, they've announced the Austin City Limits Festival lineup for the 2008 edition, and it's a doozy. Foo Fighters, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and Beck appear to be the 3 headliners based on the fact they're listed first, and there are a lot of bands on the undercard worth seeing (David Byrne, Neko Case, Gillian Welch, Mates of State are just some of the intriguing names on the list).

But this is Zooglobble, and so here I am with the Austin Kiddie Limits lineup:

Jambo
Q Brothers
Buck Howdy with BB
Uncle Rock
Big Don
Mr. Ray
The Jimmies
School of Rock

With the exception of Jambo, Q Brothers and School of Rock, all are new to the AKL stage. The lineup is a little more country (Buck Howdy), a little more hip-hop (Big Don, who was there last year passing out CDs, so that seemed to work out well for him), with perhaps the Jimmies trying to fit the large showmanship shoes of the Sippy Cups.

Austin City Limits Festival this year is Sept. 26 - 28.

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been sitting on a bunch of interviews from my trips to Austin last September. With the music world once again congregating in Austin for SXSW, it's high time I transcribed and shared them with you.

Given the South By Southwest connection, I thought it appropriate to kick things off with Tor Hyams, who will be speaking at a kids music panel at SXSW Friday.

Among the many roles that California-based Hyams has is producing the Kidzapalooza stage at Lollapalooza and the Austin Kiddie Limits stage at the Austin City Limits Festival, not to mention the Little State stage at the Big State Festival. It was backstage at ACL 2007 that I caught up with Hyams and talked about producing those events and his thoughts about the future of kids music festivals.

Zooglobble: What's been the best part about the Austin Kiddie Limits stage?
Tor Hyams: The best part about the Austin Kiddie Limits is, I have to say, Austin. People are really different. There's no airs about anybody, they're very open and honest and willing to have a good time, and that makes what we do a lot easier.

You produce Kidzapalooza, Austin Kiddie Limits, and the kids stage at the Big State Festival. Big State is more country, while the other two are more rock. How did you decide who you would try to get for Kidzapalooza as opposed to Austin Kiddie Limits?
In Kidzapalooza, we go a little harder-edged. It's just a different energy to that place than here. This is more of a roots-rock kind of energy, where Kidzapalooza is more of hard-rock kind of energy. Some bands fit into both, like the Sippy Cups. Some bands don't work in both. For example, we had the Blisters, Jeff Tweedy's son's band, at Kidzapalooza, but they're from Chicago, and they're kids. It would've been hard to get them out here. I think they would've done well here, but it's just a different thing. So it's really who fits more the roots-rock mold or even country crossover acts do well, but Austin's such a dynamic city that I think you could any kind of act on stage here and it would work.

I saw a quote from Charles Attal, the head of C3 Productions who sort of described the festival circuit as a land grab -- there are a lot of opportunities in a lot of other places to establish these festivals. Do you think a kids stage is something C3 or other entities would be looking towards doing?

Continue reading "Interview: Tor Hyams" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I've hear rumors of particular bands being booked for C3's twin titans of summer kid-friendly music festivals, Kidzapalooza and Austin Kiddie Limits, and some of those rumors would appear to be inching toward the realm of reality.

Austin Kiddie Limits has posted some new tracks on its Myspace page. New to the page are The Jimmies, Buck Howdy, Uncle Rock, and Mr. RAY. These artists would all appear to be on the bill for AKL, set for September 26 through 28. (Buck Howdy already has AKL dates on his live calendar.) And The Jimmies have a Kidzapalooza date set on their calendar. (Kidzapalooza is set for August 1 through 3.)

These aren't all the bands I've heard rumors of, so more will be announced at some point, to be sure. But, hey, it's only February -- ACL is 7 months away, after all. Now you can plan your summer 2008 road trips accordingly.

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Y'know, when you're trying to blog a day sequentially in less time than you really need, you don't really get a chance to add all the random thoughts and memories that you'll end up leaving with. So here are some random memories and thoughts from Austin City Limits Music Festival 2007:

-- I am definitely not the first person to say this, but having a music festival in September in Austin is insane, unless it's part of some massive dehydration campaign on the part of a megalomaniacal evil person bent on taking over Texas. The heat and humidity is ridiculous. Or maybe I've just spent too long in Phoenix, where the heat is beyond ridiculous but the humidity is, well, not.
-- Having said that, this is a primo-organized festival. Shows started (and ended) when they were supposed to, port-a-potties were numerous, and the sound was functional. If people decide to go to a festival based on who's performing, they decide to go back (the next day or the next year) based on all the little (and big) stuff that doesn't have anything to do with the acts. Austin City Limits Festival is worth going back to.

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2007: Let's Review" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

You know, by the time you've been listening to music for about 20 hours in a 36-hour period, your focus tends to wander. Yeah, yeah, drums. Yo La Tengo, sure. Where the heck is that water bottle?

But I came here to Austin with a job to do and I'm going to do it. After all, I'm a professional.

Actually, no, I'm not.

But I'm here.

In any case, Day 3 here at the Austin Kiddie Limits stage and I'm without Miss Mary Mack, who slept in until 9 AM this morning and is relaxing back at the (metaphorical) ranch with her grandma. After filing my Day 2 report at the press tent, I dashed over to the stage, just in time to catch We Go To 11... pose for pictures. Sorry, guys, maybe next time.

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2007: Day 3 Report" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

OK. It's 11:15 AM Sunday, and I'm in the press tent. I am -- of course -- sweating like a really sweaty dog. The kid-band We Go To 11 start in about 15 minutes, and I'm probably about a 14-minute walk from the AKL stage, so, uh, I'm going to be brief. (Well, probably not, but briefer than I otherwise would be.)

Miss Mary Mack and I had a leisurely morning on Saturday. Since the Bummkinn Band and Jambo were playing the first two sets on Saturday and we'd seen 'em on Friday, we took a pass. (The fact that we'd be watching music until 9 PM thanks to the Family Music Meltdown also, uh, played a role in the decision here.) So we got to the Austin Kiddie Limits stage a little into the Sippy Cups' first set of the day.

The Sippys had the most impressive stage setup of the day. Banners on the side and bright day-glo costumes to rival Bjork's for long-distance visibility. The crowd was definitely bigger today than on Friday. Must be something about that whole school is on Friday thing. Their first set was mostly covers, finishing with their reworking of "I Wanna Be Sedated," changed into "I Wanna Be Elated." Can you call it a mosh pit if nobody's actually bouncing off one another, just bouncing up and down?

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2007: Day 2 Report" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"I love the Austin Kiddie Limits -- that's great. It's because nobody in the audience is reading the blogs saying, 'That guy is over.' They're either crying and asking mommy to go home or they love it." -- James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem at Austin City Limits Festival 2007

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I'll spare you the rest of the story about "Day 0" -- the flight to Dallas was fine, and although I was overly optimistic about getting out of the Fort Worth area ahead of the rush hour traffic, it was an uneventful drive through central Texas. Really, it was stuff that makes for poor website reading and I don't have the time.

So the next morning, Miss Mary Mack (yes, that's the name I'm giving her, thanks to loyal reader Katy for the suggestion -- she loves that song) and I got in the car and drove to downtown Austin. We got there around 10:30, boarded the shuttle bus and took the long, slow drive to Zilker Park.

After securing my pass, we went in a side gate for press and others, thereby passing the crowds here, which, I didn't realize at the time, were waiting for an 11 AM entrance. We got inside, then all of a sudden I heard the theme music for "Chariots of Fire" and the gates opened up and people started streaming in. Nice touch.

After wandering around a bit (a common theme for the day), we headed on over to the Austin Kiddie Limits stage to catch the first act of the day: Sara Hickman.

Continue reading "ACL Fest (Austin Kiddie Limits) 2007: Day 1 Report" »

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm sitting in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, availing myself of their free Wi-Fi, and I'm proud to say that the first 90 minutes of this trip has gone off without a hitch. Without a hitch, I tell you!

Boarding passes retrieved? Check!
Last-minute bathroom run made? Check!
First snack selection given my daughter's A-OK? Check!

My goal for the flight? To get to Dallas with everyone happy and with a website name for my daughter so I don't have to constantly call her "my daughter."

With any luck, I'll have a Day One post sometime Saturday morning.

Gotta go -- they're boarding.

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Amy Winehouse won't be there, the Paul Green School of Rock will. The schedule was always set before, but the Austin City Limits Festival (Sept. 14-16) has added some more details regarding its 2007 Austin Kiddie Limits activities. Instruments to noodle on, tattoos, dance lessons, hip-hop lessons -- lots of stuff to do.

See the complete schedule here.

Let the rumors for the "Special Guest" each day from 3:15 to 3:30 begin!

(My suggestion? The Del McCoury Band finishes their set 2:30 Friday. I think they could do a little Little Mo McCoury stuff at 3:15, no? Jack White on Saturday? Jeff Tweedy Sunday?)

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our family actually spent much of last week in Austin, Texas, where my mom and brother and his family live (and where I spent a number of years growing up). We met my one-and-only nephew for the first time (cute kid), saw the water rushing out of Mansfield Dam as the region recovered from a 50-year-flood, and generally hung out and avoided responsibility. We also lost the keys to the rental car right before we headed back to the airport (note to self: never give keys to your 2-year-old, no matter how desperate you are to occupy him while you finish packing).

Well, that last issue won't be a problem this September when my daughter and I head back to Austin to attend the great Austin City Limits Festival, from September 14 through 16. That's right, Zooglobble goes on the road for the first time. We'll be wandering around, talking to artists at Austin Kiddie Limits, checking out some of the other bands (see my draft and incredibly unrealistic given that I'm traveling with a 6-year-old schedule here), and, assuming that there is a) a press tent, and b) it has a high-speed internet connection, providing some reasonably live coverage of the event.

We've got press passes, housing (thanks, Mom!), and plane tickets. Now, the plane tickets are acutally to Dallas (that's what I get for waiting so long to make reservations), but that'll give me a chance to show the plains of Central Texas to my daughter, who's not been on I-35 before.

Am I missing a band I should check out? Any tips for attending a kids music festival with a 6-year-old? Any of you going to be there? Let me know!

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, the schedule for the 2007 Austin City Limits Festival was announced today, which is a good thing, seeing as the three-day passes are sold out and those without tickets must now resort to individual day passes. (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3)

Of course, you don't really care that Bjork is headlining Day 1, do you? Or that you'll have to choose between the Arcade Fire and the White Stripes on Saturday? Oh, yes, you probably do, because even if you don't care about Bjork, there are lots of other people who do, and so if you want to see particular bands on the Austin Kiddie Limits stage, you better keep in mind that those lots of people who want to see Bjork don't care that you really want to see a kids set from Sara Hickman -- they'll have bought all the tickets in advance.

Unfortunately, the organizers have done a good job of forcing people to buy all three days' worth of tickets spreading the quality acts all around -- there's no single day that's head-and-shoulders above the rest. (Except, of course, when they're scheduling great acts at the same time -- I'm lookin' at you, Wilco and My Morning Jacket on Sunday night.)

Anyway, here are the Austin Kiddie Limits times:

Friday, Sept. 14th
Sara Hickman, 11:30 - 11:50
Bummkinn Band, 12:30 - 12:50
Jambo, 1:30 - 1:50
Daddy-A-Go-Go, 2:30 - 2:50
Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars: 3:30 - 3:50

Saturday, Sept. 15th
Bummkinn Band, 11:30 - 11:50
Jambo, 12:30 - 12:50
Sippy Cups, 1:30 - 1:50
Sippy Cups, 2:30 - 2:50
Farmer Jason, 3:30 - 3:50

Sunday, Sept. 16th
We Go To 11, 11:30 - 11:50
Farmer Jason, 12:30 - 12:50
The Jellydots, 1:30 - 1:50
Q Brothers, 2:30 - 2:50
Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars, 3:30 - 3:50

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Anyone who's read Neal Pollack's Alternadad knows that Neal's family's experience 2 or 3 years agao at the Austin City Limits Festival, though not a debacle on the level of Woodstock '99, wasn't a familial high point, either.

Still, that's not gonna bring the fine friends at the ACL Festival down, because once again they're organizing Austin Kiddie Limits, a separate stage just for the young folk at this year's edition scheduled for September 14 through 16, 2007. (Note: that's "young folk," not "Young Folks" -- Peter Bjorn & John are on an entirely different stage.)

In any case, I'll leave the obsessive "this lineup is awesome/this lineup is sucks" discussion for the 93% of the lineup not specifically for the kids to other websites; this is the place for the obsessive "this lineup is awesome/this lineup is sucks" discussion pertaining to kids music.

Now, the lineup can be basically divided into two categories:
1) Adults Playing For Kids
2) Kids Playing For Adults

In the former category, you have the following:
-- The Sippy Cups -- Psychedelic-inspired kids rock, with a hint of punk and Replacements tossed in. Also, costumes. As a result, those attending ACL for Bob Dylan and Bjork might find them slightly amusing.
-- Daddy A Go Go -- Straight-ahead rock 'n' roll with a side of smart-aleckness. It's exactly as if ACL artist LCD Soundsystem played Southern-fried rock with teenagers. OK, it's nothing like that, but until Jimmy Buffett plays ACL Fest, I got nothin'.
-- Farmer Jason -- Countryfied rock without a trace of irony. The obvious parental equivalent would be Jason and the Scorchers, but no dice.
-- Sara Hickman -- I understand from the folks in charge that she'll be pulling double-duty, playing both an adult and the kids stage.
-- Q Brothers -- Good-time hip-hop and rap. (Is there any other kind for kids? I mean, is gangsta rap for youngsters doomed to be forever untapped?
-- Jambo Kidz -- Bluesy stuff from LA
-- Bummkinn Band -- Gentle country for the kids. Not Shania Twain country, much more traditional.
-- Jellydots -- If you've been reading this website for any length of time, you're familiar with Doug Snyder and his band, The Jellydots. Awesome stuff.

In the second category are bands made up of youngsters or recently-adulted young folks. I really got nothing on these three except that the School of Rock has a Police song up on AKL's Myspace page (a perfectly acceptable version, and timely to boot), and the Steps is an Austin-based band.
-- Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars
-- The Steps
-- We Go To 11

As 2 1/2 afternoons of music go, pretty good. (And the evenings, not for the kiddos, might have a band or two worth catching...) If we can avoid chucking juice boxes onto the stage, then even better.

More details to come.

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Austin City Limits Festival announced their 2006 lineup today and it includes kids music artists you might know such as Sara Hickman, Terri Hendrix, Joe McDermott, Imagination Movers, and Asheba.

Take that, Lollapalooza!

And just as with Lollapalooza, there are a good 30-40 other artists worth your time.

The 2006 edition will be held Sept. 15 - 17. And, as an ex-longtime resident of Austin, I can assure you that it could (OK, will) be just as humid as Chicago in early August. But the pace is much more relaxed. And you're right around the corner from Chuy's Barton Springs location...

(Of course, I post this knowing that the idea of families flying to Austin for the weekend for a concert festival is a bit, erm, far-fetched for all but the most devoted and affluent. But still.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)