The home team: 14 fantastic local artists who put the Austin in ACL Fest

Deborah Sengupta Stith and Peter Blackstock, Austin American-Statesman
·4 min read

By now, locals are well aware that the Austin City Limits Music Festival puts much more focus on touring acts than hometown talent. Still, each year, a dozen or so locals have a chance to get in on the Zilker Park action. Looking beyond the handful of big-time Austin acts such as Spoon and Black Pumas’ Adrian Quesada, here’s a few that may be worth arriving early to catch.

Friday

TheBrosFresh (1:30 p.m., Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Weekend 1):  Thurman and Torrence Thomas, twin brothers from Baton Rouge, originally came to Austin to expand the reach of their nonprofit, Tankproof, which aims to prevent drowning deaths with free swimming lessons. While in town, they connected with music scene leaders and were soon showering the city with hooky soul-pop jams elevated by tight harmonies and a feel-good vibe.

— D.S.S.

More:What food can you eat at ACL Fest? An Austin feast

Huston-Tillotson Jazz Collective (1:30 p.m., Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Weekend 2): An Austin music educator once told me the best musicians in town come from the hallowed halls of Austin’s only historically Black university. The collective is a subset of the school’s larger jazz orchestra. They play covers of classic and contemporary R&B, funk and soul, as well as the members' own compositions.

— D.S.S.

Sarah & the Sundays (5 p.m., BMI, Weekend 1): There’s no Sarah in Sarah & the Sundays, but the young indie band has been on a fast rise in the local scene lately with their acclaimed sophomore album, “The Living End.” They released a deluxe edition of it this year to follow 2021’s original release.

— P.B.

Saturday

Lesly Reynaga (noon, Barton Springs, Weekend 2): The Mexican-born singer-songwriter learned to tap into the rich color of her voice as a featured soloist for the University of Texas' Mariachi Paredes de Tejastitlán. These days, she brings the same sweeping drama to her own bilingual pop-rock grooves .

— D.S.S.

Como Las Movies (12:45 p.m., Honda, Weekend 2): Nelson Valente Aguilar, who spent his early days in the Austin music scene making breezy Latin pop with Maneja Beto, now makes crowds move and groove to loosely psychedelic cumbia-pop.

— D.S.S.

More:All your ACL Fest 2022 questions, answered

Good Looks (1 p.m., Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Weekend 2): On the Americana side of indie-rock, this quartet’s 2022 release “Bummer Year” blends folk and country influences into songs that don’t shy away from sociopolitical subjects.

— P.B.

SaulPaul (4:45 p.m., Austin Kiddie Limits, Weekend 1): The Austin-via-Houston artist made his name primarily as a rapper, but he’s also made children’s records, and his recent releases “Be the Change” and “Okay to Be Different” show off a poppier side that makes him a good fit for the family-friendly stage. He also performs there at 2:30 p.m. Sunday of Weekend 1.

— P.B.

Sunday

Pleasure Venom (11:45 a.m., Barton Springs, Weekend 2): Self-described on their Bandcamp page as “explosive experimental garage punk,” this quartet fronted by fiery singer Audrey Campbell served notice that they wouldn’t pull any punches with last year’s incendiary sociopolitical single, “We Get What You Deserve.”

— P.B.

Flora & Fawna (11:45 a.m., Miller Lite, Weekend 2): We’re hearing some cool Sylvan Esso vibes in the atmospheric synth-pop track “Never Mind,” the latest track from this duo featuring Lili Hickman and Mason Ables. An EP is in the works to follow a self-titled 2019 debut and a couple of pandemic-lockdown singles.

— P.B.

More:Buffalo Nichols talks blues music, playing solo, moving to Austin and more

Primo the Alien (12:45 p.m., Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Weekend 1): Need to sweat out your troubles to an insistent club groove? With a hint of darkness in her smooth vocals, the synthwave standout invites you to “Dance Forever.”

— D.S.S.

Darkbird (1:15 p.m., BMI, Weekend 1): “Ballad of a Junebug,” the new EP from the six-piece outfit helmed by Kelly Barnes and James Cole, is a soaring collection of festival-ready dance rock crafted for wayward souls ready to crack open their shimmering shells.

More:Who to see at ACL Fest, according to the experts

— D.S.S.

Caleb de Casper (1:15 p.m., Barton Springs, Weekend 1): The “Femme Boy” singer draws on his background in horror cabaret to add gender-shredding theatricality to live shows that showcase skills he developed as a classically trained vocalist and pianist.

— D.S.S.

Austin blues singer Buffalo Nichols will play both weekends of ACL Fest.
Austin blues singer Buffalo Nichols will play both weekends of ACL Fest.

Buffalo Nichols (1:45 p.m., Tito’s Handmade Vodka, both weekends): Since moving to Austin from Milwaukee a couple of years ago, Nichols has quickly become an artist to watch on the local scene. His 2021 self-titled solo debut offers a contemporary take on traditional acoustic blues.

— P.B.

Eric Tessmer (5 p.m., BMI, Weekend 1): Austin has churned out soulful blues-rock guitar players for decades. Tessmer follows in that same vein, winning an Austin Music Award for best guitarist a few years ago.

— P.B.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Pleasure Venom, Darkbird, more Austin artists playing ACL Festival