Local artists represent a small but mighty percentage of performances booked at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. They do what they can to stand out among the big names at the nine stages scattered around Zilker Park. They depend on devoted fans and spontaneous attendees to endure the heat to hear their music. Out of the over 100 performances booked for ACL this year, less than a fifth of them were locally based.
ACL is known, both by locals and out-of-towners, for being a one-stop shop for music they love. But in the “Live Music Capital of the World,” local artists tend to have smaller stages, further away from the center of the festival. Their sets are usually scheduled for earlier in the day, forcing many attendees to choose between 100-degree heat in the Texas sun or saving their energy for the headliners at night.
In artist Chief Cleopatra’s case, her stage was on the other side of Barton Springs Road, separated from the festival’s early hustle and bustle. Despite the distance, her music and magnetic performance brought in attendees as they walked in from the east and west entrances.
“I’ve been busting butt just to get to this level, and to play ACL this year means I’ve been accepted by the music scene here,” said Jalesa Jessie, who performs as Chief Cleopatra.
This was Jessie’s third year applying to perform at ACL. She played other festivals, namely South By Southwest, Austin’s weeklong film festival that features music performances around the city. She said preparing for ACL was a more intense experience, with stage managers, credentials and a larger-scaled level of production. It was a big shift from the intimate venues she was used to.
“South by Southwest is way more relaxed compared to this being such a big thing. There’s way more (performances) to go to,” Jessie said.
Somehow, she managed to transform an ACL stage under direct, beaming sunlight, into a groovy, rich performance filled with vocal runs and heart. Jessie describes her music as soul rock, but she’s been experimenting with her sound to attract more listeners and connect with her audience.
“I want to connect with people with something that’s fun and lure them into my world of rock too,” Jessie said.
Chief Cleopatra was one of many artists celebrating their ACL debut this year. West 22nd, favorites on the University of Texas campus, greeted an eager, awning-shaded crowd on the opposite end of the festival.
Minutes before the show, the area was packed with college-aged fans with lyrics memorized and passersby eager to hear something new. The five-man band packed a punch for viewers with an energetic performance and witty introductions to songs.
“I think our live performances are so much fun, they’re very high energy,” the lead singer, Logan Madsen said. “I think people see that on social media, and from what we post, I think they see and want to have fun with us.”
All the band members are students, some of them preparing to graduate this year. The band said they intend to evolve past a “college band” and continue making music. They said they divide up the stress of big events like ACL by delegating interviews and other responsibilities amongst themselves. The bassist, Jet Beck, said he was late getting to ACL because he was in an introduction to music class earlier that day.
“(My professor) would have let me go, the class is just dope,” Beck said when his bandmates asked why he stayed.
The band started out performing covers and eventually incorporated original songs. They said now, they’re at the point where they have heated debates over what to play and what to cut.
“Putting out your own songs and having fans sing those songs– it’s the most rewarding feeling I’ve ever felt,” Madsen said.
That’s exactly what happened during their set. Fans and the band shared inside jokes during the performance.
“I’m so glad we have this tent!” Madsen said to the crowd, “I was worried we’d get-”
“Sunburns!” The crowd cheered back, naming the band’s most popular song.
The rhythm guitarist, Gabe Avecedo, said the band is tight knit and depends on each other for support and to hype each other up for shows, especially a milestone like ACL.
“There’s some peer pressure involved,” Avecedo said. “Seeing all these guys work so hard and give it everything they’ve got– that feeds off onto you and you want to do the same thing.”