ACL Repor(t), Night One

In my college days I had a weekly routine of going down to the Sound Warehouse and spending about an hour perusing the aisles and listening to the newest releases at the headphone station. I rather enjoyed feeling like I was "in the know" about the latest bands and music trends, and I got extra thrills from being the first to introduce my friends to a great new album, etc. The energy do keep this up waned years ago, and I am all the more aware of my musical ignorance now that I'm living in Austin -- no worse, living with 4 zealous local musicians in Austin!

For all of Austin's City Limit-ations, I must admit that it affords geezers like myself the opportunity for a brief Cliff's Notes cram session of the latest and greatest musical endeavors. Here are some bulletpoints from my Cliff's Notes (talk about a cheat sheet):

• Okkervil River, an emerging Austin band, presented the most provocative set of the weekend. Their blend of wordsy folk and Alarm-esque emotional outbursts (even Roger Waters-like at times) set a high standard -- maybe too high -- for the following three nights.
• Gomez sounded pretty good from backstage. A bit predictable, but having the right sound for festival fun.
• Thievery Corporation made the people dance with a stage full of rhythmic energy.
• Despite being disappointed that Van Morrison had an elderly "adult contemporary" band (rather than a hoppin' soul band) as accompaniment, and the utter lackluster quality of the first few songs, I had all kinds of happy vibes watching the legend warm up and let his soul come forth from his powerful pipes. His voice is still most assuredly a remarkable force for good, and his cool, understated presence commands devotion, even while he is hidden beneath a rimmed hat and shades. For over an hour, my mind reverberated on one theme: this music is pure. Van is indeed the Man.