Part of Oct 2012 by

Austin City Limits Alternatives: All Tamara’s Parties 2.0; Ditch the Fest Fest 3

Unless you have been living totally off the grid for the last few months, you probably know that the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is happening this weekend (October 12-14) and I expect by now you have probably already decided if you are going to ACL or avoiding the event like the plague. Speaking of Plague, I would really love to witness the precise moment when local faves The Eastern Sea covert legions of new fans at ACL (The Eastern Sea are scheduled to perform at the ACL Afterparty at Stubbs on October 12 and on the Austin Ventures stage at 11:20am on October 14). Another local band, Wild Child, is also on the verge of exploding into the national consciousness at ACL (Wild Child are scheduled to perform at the ACL Afterparty at Wanderlust Live on October 11 and on the Austin Ventures stage at 12:00pm on October 13). While I am very sad to be missing The Eastern Sea and Wild Child — as well as national/international touring acts like Stars, Metric, Andrew Bird, The Shins and Florence + The Machine — I have decided to steer clear of the masses of people at Zilker Park.

Of course, once the line-up for All Tamara’s Parties 2.0 was announced, I knew I could be get my fill of awesome music at Cheer Up Charlie’s on October 13. Over the course of 11 straight hours, bands like Deep Time (formerly Yellow Fever), Lola Cola, The Bad Lovers, The Sour Notes, The Lonesome Heroes, The Zoltars, The Dialtones, The Villettes and Frank Smith will be rocking out on multiple stages…for free. Yes, that’s right kids, you read that correctly — it is FREE! Thanks to Cheer Up Charlie’s, No Play Music and Pop Press International for giving us such a kick-ass (and FREE) alternative to the overwhelming frenzy of ACL Fest.

Here is a little sampling of what ATP 2.0 will be offering:

Deep Time

The Lonesome Heroes

The Zoltars

Frank Smith

I am actually pretty bummed that Ditch the Fest Fest 3 and ATP2 are competing with each other, but I am going to figure out a way to get the best of both fests. DTFF3 is a two-day festival at 29th Street Ballroom and Spider House Cafe, boasting a ton of amazing music on three concurrent stages, all for a mere $5 cover. I am most excited that Grace London is returning to Austin to play a set at DTFF3, but this fest boasts an all-around great line-up including The Calm Blue Sea, Knifight, Les Rav, Residual Kid, The Couch, Burgess Meredith, The Ghost Wolves, Hello Wheels, and Growl (plus a few bands who are also featured on the ATP2 roster).

Here’s a little taste of what you can expect to see at DTFF3:

The Calm Blue Sea

Grace London

Les Rav

The Ghost Wolves