ACL Artist Spotlight : Andrew Bird

This guy is pretty much a given; I was thrilled to see him on the bill this year. This is not Andrew Bird's first time around (as he says so in his song, "Armchairs") but he's added on some permanent band members since then. I'm also very excited to see the infamous sock monkey that he brings around tour everywhere and those beautiful horn speakers that are sprinkled on the stage. His most recent album, "Break It Yourself" carries on more instruments but never fails to give us the dose of strings, loops, and whistles that I find very calming. If you don't like him on your first listen, it's completely understandable- I've been there. I say, just give him a chance because I did and I entered into a wonderful world of violin/string-instrument-appreciation.

Here's a notable performance at Bonnaroo, 5 years ago:

ACL Artist Spotlight : Delta Spirit

Delta Spirit - California 
I've been laying off doing this for a couple of weeks but last night I finally buckled down and started to line up some things for my new posts entitled "ACL Artist Spotlight." More than once, I have found myself having to choose between one band or the other because they played at the same time. I figured if I do a lot of my research now, I might be able to make a quicker decision when the time comes. Truth is: it often ends up being a last minute decision but one of the things I do believe in is "research first." Thus, ACL Artist Spotlight came into fruition.

These babes write a lot of songs about California but they sure spend a lot of time in Texas. While I'm grateful for that blessing, there has always been some kind of issue- 1) bike tire blew out on the way to ACL and missing their performance, 2) SXSW and I was working at SXSW, or 3) Finals week. In any case, this year I will make sure to take care of all the loose ends and make their show. They've really hooked me with their latest self-titled album, Delta Spirit. I cross my fingers for a "Devil Knows You're Dead"...acoustic version? A girl can dream. That was the song that made it for me.
If you like folk rock sounds, distinct vocals, vibe-y guitars, and a good show(or at least that's what I hear)- I'll see you at the show w/my ACL flag(more on this later).