Photo courtesy of Molly Burch.
Austin City Limits Music Festival is a dynamic adventure that brings some of the biggest names in music to Austin, while also showcasing local musicians right in their own city.
Story by Megan Price
Photo courtesy of Austin City Limits Music Festival
Artists such as Jackie Venson, SaulPaul and Molly Burch, proved this true as they welcomed in ACL weekend one. These Austinites are now getting to play one of the biggest music festivals in the world in the place that started it all for them. “When I got the invitation to play ACL, everyone I knew who had played it before told me it was going to be one of the best experiences of my life,” hip-hop artist SaulPaul says.
Singer and musician Jackie Venson also channels the same feelings about performing at the festival. “I am just really really excited,” Venson says. “I can’t wait for show day.”
Singer Molly Burch, along with Venson and SaulPaul, made her debut at ACL this year. “I feel super honored to be playing,” Burch says. “I have so much love for Austin, and ACL does a great job of representing locals.”
The music culture in Austin is a reason that Venson and SaulPaul began to produce music in the first place. “When I finally started going out around Austin, I was surrounded by music,” Venson says. “It was an osmosis effect for sure.”
The Austin music atmosphere pushed SaulPaul to begin pursuing his own musical styles. “Austin has a great brand,” SaulPaul says. “The Austin vibe is what led me to picking up a guitar and creating my own lane of acoustic hip-hop.”
Burch, whose new album First Flower released on Oct. 5, the same day as the ACL kickoff, also cites Austin as a launchpoint to her music career. “When I moved to Austin, I felt so taken care of,” Burch says. “There are so many great things that help Austin musicians and once I started to meet the right people, I started really loving it.”
While the atmosphere in Austin is usually vibrant, there is a tangible change in the environment when ACL rolls around. These artists who walk the Austin streets even after the flash tats are washed away and the festival grounds transform back into Zilker Park, can definitely pick up on that. “It becomes more of a party vibe,” Venson says. “You can hear the concert going on from miles away and there’s this electricity because of it.”
Jackie Venson performs at Austin City Limits 2018. Photo courtesy of Amy Price.
SaulPaul can also feel the change in the air. “I feel as the date grows closer the vibe and the energy feels way more alive,” SaulPaul says. “Sometimes, you don’t realize when it’s in your backyard how big of a deal ACL really is.”
ACL is an event not just full of music, but also a representation of what the city of Austin is all about. “The A in ACL stands for Austin,” SaulPaul says. “The slogan ‘What starts here changes the world,’ represents The University of Texas at Austin as well as the city of Austin itself. We were one of the first festivals to go to two weekends, and the diverse lineup goes right along with the vibe of Austin.”
