Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits is probably the single coolest music event in the country. Apparently homeboys in Texas' liberal bastion know how to put on a good...ahem...great show of quasi-underground music for 65,000 of their closest friends. In any case, I got to see an amazingly entertaining band Brazilian Girls (albeit, there is only one girl in the band, and no member is from Brazil). I had their debut, self-titled album before courtesy of an internal medicine resident from New Orleans. I loved it. Then, after having seen them in person, they've catapulted up my favorites list to join Erykah Badu, Jamiroquai, and Fila Brazilia. Their new album Talk to la Bomb is hotter than a whore in church as the saying goes. Very high energy and very fluid fun lyrics, in English, French, German, and I think Portuguese. Apparently the lead singer above, is a lanky world citizen now living in New York's underground party scene. The most obvious thing of course is that she apparently likes to cover her face when performing. Word on the street is that despite dripping with a narcissistic and borderline personality traits, she sees her eyes as too intimate; they're the window to her soul. Right. Faces are generally hidden only during bank robberies, trips to certain Middle East Countries, and other semi-clandestine activities. In short, creepy but SOOOO much fun. Hands down the best performance at ACL.
The drummer of Brazilian Girls has incredibly high energy. At the end of their grand-oeuvre (whose title tongue in cheek title rhymes with 'wussy') he threw his drum stick to the audience MUCH to the elation of the frighteningly territorial recipient of said drum stick. Not that serious chica.
I also go to the see the Federico Aubele, this Argentine much in the style of Thievery Corporation that has somehow managed to be a very contemporary expression of culturally Argentine music. I had trouble finding his CD over a year ago at the indy CD shops in town, but there he was! He previewed some of his songs from an upcoming album and they sounds amazing. Waiting on pins and needles.

All in all a great time with the roomate and his sister, and an irreplaceable music experience. Brazilian Girls, Federico Aubele, The Shins, Thievery Corporation, Calexico, the Raconteurs. All amazing. Hopefully I'll be able to swing by next year.