ACL Music Festival Lineup is up and here is my Top 10 Must See List

The Austin City Limits Music Festival lineup has been announced and my first reaction was simply WOW! The headliners are always debatable wether they are better or worst than previous years but I’m not sure I have seen a lineup of ‘the middle’ bands this strong before:
Eminem, Pearl Jam, Outkast, Skrillex, Beck, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Foster The People, The Avett Brothers, The Head and the Heart, Chromeo, Broken Bells, Childish Gambino, CHVRCHES, Phantogram, Fitz and The Tantrums, THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM, The Turnpike Troubadours, Polica, Hozier, JOHNNYSWIM and, of course, Asleep at the Wheel !!

Here is my list of the ‘must see’ bands that you may have never heard of:

#10 – The Gaslight Anthem
#9 – Fitz and the Tantrums
#8 – Chromeo
#7 – CHVRCHES
#6 – Johnnyswim
#5 – Poliça
#4 – Hozier
#3 – Broken Bells
#2 – Phantogram
#1 – Turnpike Troubadours

You can see the entire two weekend lineup HERE.

#10 – The Gaslight Anthem

Gaslight has been around for quite awhile and became pretty popular with their song “The ’59 Sound” back in 2008. They have a very intense following so I would get to their stage early if you want a good spot. The lead singer has a very cool raspy voice and is great to see live. I will be rocking my white t-shirt and blue jeans for this show.

#9 – Fitz and the Tantrums

I shot Fitz and the Tantrums at SXSW in 2012 and this duo can put on a great show. They have grown more and more popular with their hit songs ‘Out of my League’ and ‘MoneyGrabber’ This one will be good to post up a chair, hang out in the back and sing along.

#8 – Chromeo

I have yet to see Chromeo but everyone that I know who has speaks very highly of their show. Put your asics on for a dance party.

#7 – CHVRCHES

Be prepared to be in a mob of Hipsters for CHVRCHES. This year and last I have seen a surge of bands with a cool sound and lead vocals by women. (HAIM, Warpaint, MØ, Wet, Phantogram, London Grammer, etc)

#6 – Johnnyswim

I shot the Johnnyswim duo at SXSW at a church and was just blown away by their talent. Typically these type of acts aren’t amazing at outside festivals like ACL but my guess is that they will go on early and will kick off the day with a punch of emotion. I’m a huge fan of this couple and will 100% at this show with my camera out.

#5 – Poliça

Poliça was on my Top 10 SXSW list this year and for good reason. Another strong women lead vocals and an unique sound that features some slight hints of electronica music.

#4 – Hozier

This band only has two EP’s out but is featured on multiple of my playlists. Their song ‘Take Me to Church’ is very powerful. Hozier will also probably be a band that plays early and won’t have a huge crowd but take this opportunity to watch a very talented band before they blow up.

#3 – Broken Bells

Most of you know who Broken Bells is but they still make my list as I am excited to see their show and they aren’t too mainstream… yet. Their self-titled album back in 2010 still is gaining momentum and I don’t foresee them slowing down. Kinda interesting but they have been just releasing singles the past few years instead of EP’s or full length albums and it seems to be a model that is working very well.

#2 – Phantogram

Phantogram was also #2 of my SXSW must see list and killed it at SXSW so most Austinites will already know this band. Get to this stage early and post up.

#1 – Turnpike Troubadours

So I may be bias with this pick but trust me on this band. I have shot Turnpike two different times and absolutely love these guys. They just played a sold out show at Stubbs and I see these guys just skyrocketing this summer. If there is only one band you get to see out of the Red Dirt/Texas Country scene the Turnpike Troubadours are the show to watch.

Here is my Spotify playlist for the 2014 ACL Lineup:

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