Come on, lets Cope.

Citizen Cope.

"A modern day bluesman who paints a plaintive portrait of the human condition."

- Rolling Stone

ACL 10/03/09

I close my eyes. My foot taps against the earth as my hips sway keeping time to the rhythm. I reach into my bag for the lyrics like everyone else does to sing along with him as he stands with his guitar. He is soulful, thoughtful, and altogether wonderful. You know the drill if you've ever seen a favorite artist live. You stand elbow to elbow with other lovers who all seem to share the same belief that this music is beautiful.

Cope is a poet, an insanely amazing lyricist that chooses to sing about grief, love, triumph, and a whole laundry list of other relatable situations.

His lyrics are personal making you think he is pouring his heart out for all to see every time he opens his mouth. You feel an electricity, an indescribable music high that makes you want to hear more. "Keep playing" is all you want to say. His voice is unlike others. Now that I think of it, I can't compare him to another artist. He is authentic.

Amazingly enough, he is always grateful. Looking at the audience with great thankfulness for enjoying his show, I can't help but think he did more for me than I for him. I am buzzing afterwards contemplating his smooth, soulful, and addictive voice that is now stuck in my head. He is an ace, a man of many tricks - someone who makes magic with words.

If you haven't listened, you must.

Recommended Tracks: Bullet and a Target, Sideways, Sons Gonna Rise

peace,

tess.allen.

Kings of Leon

The Kings... of what?

ACL 10/02/09

Being a long time fan of the Kings of Leon, listening to their first album Youth and Young Manhood released in 2003 and now loving Only by the Night, I have to admit I wasn't very impressed by their show. Don't get me wrong, they are insanely amazing musicians and with their success story you can't help but like them, but I wasn't very blown away by their stage presence. For me, a fabulous show depends on if the artist is willing to interact with the crowd and play for them. Kings just weren't there for me. True musicians though, they played all their big hits and sounded great.

Knowing the Kings aren't going anywhere (almost exact quote from lead singer, Caleb Followill) I look forward to seeing a concert in the years to come. Maturing might be good for them.

Recommended Tracks: Sex on Fire, 17, Use Somebody

peace,

tess.allen

phoenix please.

Think France. Think late 90's. Think Vampire Weekend. Find Phoenix.

Band Members: Thomas Mars (the man behind the beautiful voice), Deck D'Arcy (bass), Laurent Brancowitz (guitar), and Christian Mazzalai (guitar).

ACL 10/02/09

Put in Phoenix's latest CD (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix) and you'll feel like you were at the concert. They sounded amazing live so it didn't surprise me when a huge crowd gathered to see Mars jump around on stage passionately belting out the lyrics. From France, Phoenix released their first album in 2000, but their new release (WFP; for short) is by far their best one. The breezy vocals, catchy lyrics, and addicting sound are just a few of Phoenix's best traits. Sounding more like an American

college group than a French band from Versailles, they're perfect for dancing and you can't help but sing along. Mars voice

is endearingly catchy (think Britt Daniel from Spoon) and makes Phoenix the noteworthy band it's becoming.

They're show was one of my favorites at ACL. But then again, they're CD is a regular in my car.

Recommended Tracks: 1901, Lisztomania, Lasso

peace,

tess.allen

"SoundMAN!"

Knux anyone?

Wrap your head around this one: A self-produced group comprised of two brothers from New Orleans who sound like Outkast, Juvenile, Tha Pharcyde, and The Strokes. Yes, such duo does exist.

So.. where the hell have they been all your life?

A common question asked since they're sound is mature yet very different and fresh - they are certainly one of a kind. But in fact they really did come out of nowhere.

Blood brothers (2 years apart) Krispy and Al were raised by their single mom in the East Neighborhood of New Orleans. Though they lived under the same roof and both shared an interest in high school marching band, they were never very close. Al still claims to have been the less charismatic brother who enjoyed video games rather than chasing girls like his brother Krispy. Krispy still begs to differ, but initially what brought the two together was the second Gravediggaz album. They describe their days as sitting around listening to the album over and over. Within one year, Krispy and Al were already creating rhymes and beats, eventually making songs together with an uncle who was a local producer. The Knuckle Heads were born. Right about the time when they were coming close to finishing a demo, The Knux experienced a stoke of bad luck - Hurricane Katrina. Their lives, homes and just about everything was destroyed. Relocating to Houston, things started looking up when their demo landed in Paul Rosenberg's hands. Knowing their unhappiness in Houston and their lack of inspiration - Paul sent them to Los Angeles in 2006 where the recording process began.

“Once we got out to L.A. there was just such a different vibe,” explains Al, “And we were going to all the downtown clubs with fuckin’ socialite girls and, like, the so-called hipsters, and guys like Steve Aoki. It was a totally different scene from what we were used to in New Orleans and the music we started making just reflected that.”

Their first album, "Remind me in 3 days..." released by Interscope Records does in fact have that "cruising down Sunset Boulevard in the summer" feel and it definitely works.

Austin City Limits 10-2-09

Being a long time fan of the Knux, I loved just getting the chance to see them perform live. Energy, Energy, Energy... they had lots of it. Wearing all black in 100 degree weather, Krispy was all over the stage and at one point even telling the sound man to turn it up louder. I couldn't help but laugh at their animation and liveliness. I was a little disappointed when they ended their set thirty minutes early but rather than hating them for leaving, I was eager for another dose. With increasing recognition, The Knux are booking shows left and right and it's evident that The Knux are here to stay. And if you forget, well don't worry, The Knux will Remind You in 3 Days...

peace,

tess.allen

The Bright Light Social Hour

"When it's time for some booty shakin', look no further than The Bright Light Social Hour. The local indie group combines raw, jazzy vocals with poppy musicality enough to make any crowd dance."
-The Austinist

ACL 10/2/09

The Bright Light Social Hour, a local Austin band, wasn't scheduled for Austin City Limits in the beginning but instead won the Sound and the Jury Contest. A contest starting with 100 bands competing for the chance to play during ACL on the Dell Stage, was narrowed down to 20 then 5 and finally a winner was chosen. It's very clear to me why they won - their show was hilarious, infectious, entertaining, and most definitely booty shakin'. They are a rock band that incorporates electronica, funk, and indie into every song making for an interesting mix but absolutely a good one. They currently have 3 EP's with a combined total of 11 songs but are determined to record a full album in the next year or so.

The energy infused show could have been overwhelming at 11 AM but they were brilliant performers and now listening to the few songs they have, I'm convinced they're even better in concert. An overall great experience I recommend checking them out before they're selling out shows all over the country.

Recommended songs: Back and Forth (Part Two)

peace,

tess.allen

nelo

"Oh my baby, there's a light outside.

I must be crazy to be wasting time and if I could be wrong.. well, are you alright?

I'll go running tonight."

ACL 10/2/09

Surprisingly, I'd never heard of the Austin born, feel good, mellow and sadly very forgettable sextet nelo. Arriving at ACL they were the first band I saw and though I was impressed with their somewhat large crowd at a small stage, I was lost in the recognizable sound. The band members - Matt Ragland (acoustic guitar, 12 string, and background vocals), Reid Umstattd (lead vocals), Stephen Goodson (electric guitar), Mike St. Clair (bass, trombone, trumpet, organ. background vocals), and Chris Hill (drums and percussion) make up a not so ordinary group of musicians. With a Dave Matthew's Band tang, nelo has the same vibe as many successful and "already been sung" artists. The lead singer, Reid Umstattd duplicates a tired and breathless voice that reminds me of Rob Thomas during his Matchbox Twenty days and though Thomas is one of my favorite artists I'm lost throughout the show. Don't get me wrong, nelo provides catchy and bubbly lyrics destined to be on teen girl's ipods and played on quiet afternoons but their sound is anything but original. In short: we've heard it before!

Nevertheless, nelo attracts a devoted following and continues to play shows at local venues in and around Austin, TX.

Recommended songs: Footsteps and Jumping Bean

peace,

tess.allen