Austin City Limits is Austin's other great music festival -- a 3-day event taking place in the beautiful, 46-acre Zilker Park. ACL caters to audiences of all ages (both with the music and the way it is run), and has a "green", family friendly vibe, which makes it more appealing to crowds who seek a more laidback festival experience. Last year the decision was made to expand ACL to 2 consecutive weekends, which will fall this month on October 4-6 and October 11-13. This year's lineup features over 150 established and up-and-coming rock, indie, country, folk, and electronic acts from all around the world -- here are three artists worth seeing that stand out from the crowd.
WHO: Grimes
WHAT: Austin City Limits Music Festival
WHEN: Saturday, August 5th + 12th, 5:00pm
WHERE: Honda Stage
WHY: Experimental Canadian electro artist Grimes (real name Clair Boucher) made waves last year with her debut album "Visions," which was an underground hit. Since then, the 25-year-old has rapidly gained hipster cred, and even toured with big names like Skrillex and Diplo. Her unpredictable, dark electro-pop sound makes Grimes' music stand out, and her live performances contribute even more to her uniqueness. Her sets usually consist of lots of fluorescent lighting, unusual ensembles and oddly-synchronized background dancers. Be sure not to miss this eclectic and edgy artist at ACL this year.
WHO: White Denim
WHAT: Austin City Limits Music Festival
WHEN: Sunday, August 6th + 13th, 5:00pm
WHERE: Austin Ventures Stage
WHY: White Denim is a cool rock band who play their instruments to the breaking point, shredding on the guitar and delivering thundering basslines that make audiences heads spin. White Denim's style can be loosely described as "psych-blues-power-rock" that includes a lot of improvisation, which is always a perk for fans seeing them live. The 4-piece band has a hometown advantage at the ACL festival (they hail from Austin), so trust that they will be poised to deliver an extra-special show.
WHO: Dan Croll
WHAT: Austin City Limits Music Festival
WHEN: Saturday, August 5th + 12th, 12:15pm
WHERE: AMD + Ladybird Stages
WHY: Dan Croll's debut EP "From Nowhere" has been one of the most refreshing approaches to indie-pop this year. His sound is catchy, light and effortlessly layered, and puts a unique, folky spin on the popular genre. Croll's live performances are equally as endearing -- his falsetto and quirky personality shine throughout his sets, and his backing band handles the complexities of his music with ease. Croll has only played a handful of live performances since emerging on the scene, so don't miss your chance to watch him play at ACL this year.