Longtime readers will know that we're longtime attenders of the Austin City Limits Festival.
Well, our streak of attendance ends this year at four, but that doesn't mean we still won't be sad to miss the shows, both on the main stages (Stevie Wonder, Arcade Fire, Randy Newman, Alison Krauss) and, of course, the Austin Kiddie Limits stage.
Here are the details then on the AKL stage schedule and some tips:
Friday, Sept. 16
School of Rock: 11:30-11:55
Heidi Swedberg: 12:30-12:55
Mariana Iranzi: 1:30-1:55
Sara Hickman: 2:30-2:55
Special Guest: 3:15-3:30
Brady Rymer: 3:30-4:00
The School of Rock used to be known as "The Paul Green School of Rock Music," and they've played at AKL for many years. Teenagers playing songs written before they were born and, in some cases, before their parents were born. This will be the hardest music you hear from the Austin Kiddie Limits Stage all weekend. Here a band from the NYC outpost plays the Kindiefest showcase in 2009:
Yes, Heidi Swedberg used to play George Costanza's doomed fiance on Seinfeld. Now that we've got that out of the way, go not for the gawking factor, but because Swedberg has a hypnotic voice and a band that has a lot of fun backing up her ukulele tunes. Here's the band from this spring in NYC:
Women who know their way around a guitar solo are a popular thing these days, and Mariana Iranzi is kindie's contribution. (OK, yes, she plays the bass. Details, details.) She plays Spanish-language music that rocks. Again, from the 2009 Kindiefest:
Saturday, Sept. 17
Heidi Swedberg: 11:30-11:55
Brady Rymer: 12:30-12:55
Sara Hickman: 1:30-1:55
Quinn Sullivan: 2:30-2:55
Recess Monkey: 3:30-4:00
Brady Rymer plays roots rock and his band, The Little Band That Could, is one of the best-sounding bands in the kids music business. (It just plain sounds good.) Again, from NYC in 2009 (a good year for picking AKL 2011 acts, apparently).
There's typically at least one local band at the AKL stage each year, and this year local favorite (and current Texas State Musician) Sara Hickman represents. She's there with her relatively new band Family Time Rocks!, so expect fun banter and a pretty interactive show. Here Hickman and the band play an FTR! song earlier this summer:
Quinn Sullivan drew the largest crowd of anybody playing a set at the 2009 Austin Kiddie Limits stage. He's 12 and plays guitar so well you'd think he'd been taking lessons shortly after leaving the delivery room after his birth. He will be playing these kinds of festivals (and not on the kids' stage) for many years to come.
Sunday, Sept. 18
Mariana Iranzi: 11:30-11:55
Quinn Sullivan: 12:30-12:55
Recess Monkey: 1:30-1:55
The Q Brothers: 2:30-2:55
Peter DiStefano & Tor: 3:15-3:45
Paul Green's School of Rock: 4:05-4:30
Recess Monkey play pure pop-rock for pure pop-rock kids. Or something like that. Seriously, the trio's a hoot and I'm expecting that they will be rockin' matching outfits. Whether the outfits are as stylish as those they're rockin' back in 2010, who knows?
As for the rest of the Sunday schedule, the Q Brothers and Peter DiStefano and Tor (that's Tor Hyams, producer of the stage) appear at AKL (and Kidzapalooza) every year. They're perfectly fine (kids'll get to go on stage during the latter set), but I've seen them, well, at least 4 times and so I have nothing creative to say about them.
Have fun, stay hydrated, and enjoy the comparatively unused bathrooms!
