KUTX Staff Picks For FFF

The KUTX music staff recommends who they think are the best bets of the 2015 edition of Fun Fun Fun Fest.

 

Jack Anderson, music host 11 p.m.-3 a.m. overnight

• BADBADNOTGOOD (Sun. 7:40, Yellow Stage) Trip hop, boom bass, builds, drops, and oh yeah, all sorts of jazz instrumentation.
• Golden Dawn Arkestra (Sun. 1:20, Orange Stage) Horn-lovin’ booty-shakin’ stage-fillin’ Afrobeat. Greet the Sun.
• Ms. Lauryn Hill (Sun. 8:15, Orange Stage) If you don’t know who this is, you should go. ‘Nuff said.
• Toro Y Moi (Fri. 4:45, Orange Stage) What happens when you let a Lennon-McCartney-esque songwriter mess around with J Dilla-style samples and FX-heavy synths? Chaz Bundwick.
• Wu-Tang Clan (Sat. 8:45, Blue Stage) Nothin to F with. Arguably the most (in)famous hip hop group in history. Gritty low-fidelity jazz, soul and soundtrack samples against funky R&B drum breaks and unforgettable kung-fu dialogue samples. Get ready to put your Ws up.

 

Laurie Gallardo, producer of Austin Music Minute, music host 8-11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays

• Archers of Loaf (Sat. 4:30, Black Stage) Back in my SPIN-reading days, these gents were tearing up ‘90s underground.
• Otis the Destroyer (Thur. 10:45, Sidewinder) Another local band (formerly The Couch) rocking with most excellent vocals.
• L7 (Sun. 12:15, Black Stage) Could it be nostalgia for me? Oh, hell no. They keep it simple and RAWK. Metal sounds with punk anti-sensibilities.
• Parquet Courts (Fri. 3:45, Black Stage) Up-tempo, smart-ass NYC rock worked up in a melodic frenzy. So much fun.
• Speedy Ortiz (Sat. 2:20, Orange Stage) Much love for this quartet with a ‘90s feel; Pavement/Pixies/PJ vibes, off-kilter and badass.
• Think No Think (Fri. 12:30, Orange Stage) Local trio that rocks it incredibly hard. Excellent live show.

 

 

Jeff McCord, KUTX Music Director, host of “Eklektikos,” 6-9 a.m. Friday

• BADBADNOTGOOD (Sun. 7:40, Yellow Stage) Often thrown (mistakenly) in the jazz pool, BBNG is actually an instrumental band doing creative turns on hip hop. Ghostface Killah is a collaborator, so watch for a Wu-Tang drop in.
• Lauryn Hill (Sun. 8:15, Orange Stage) The soulful and reclusive Fugee returns. With her career so down-low these days, it’s hard to know what she’ll do, but it’s bound to be interesting.
• Neon Indian (Sat. 6:15, Blue Stage) Monterrey-born Alan Palomo returns with his Denton-based electronic/dance/pop act, on the heels of their first new album in four years.
• Nothing (Fri. 1:20, Black Stage) 2014’s Guilty of Everything was a real delight from this Philly band. If you caught them at Psych Fest, you’re making a point to be back. Intense drone-y psych – what’s not to like?
• Otis The Destroyer (Thur. 10:45, Sidewinder) Ferocious live Austin quartet (ex-Couch members), unique and somewhat relentless.

 

Rick McNulty, host “Left of the Dial,” 7-11 p.m. Friday, music host 2-6 p.m. Saturday

• Archers of Loaf (Sat. 4:30, Black Stage) One of my favorite “lost” bands of the 90s (remember Chapel Hill, NC?); they rocked hard, screamed some great hooks, and should have been as big as Pavement. Instead they were indie rock’s Mott the Hoople.
• D’Angelo and the Vanguard (Sun. 8:15, Orange Stage) Yeah, I know. *Sigh*
• Doomtree (Sun. 3:55, Blue Stage) A large and diverse rap collective based in Minneapolis; they write great songs, work the stage,  and feature my mad crush, Dessa Darling, as one of the most alluring singers and poets I’ve ever seen.
• Fuzz (Sat. 4:30, Orange Stage) This band lives up to their name. Fuzzed guitar, loud and proud drums, and a favorably tilted towards psych-rock. Starring Ty Segall on drums.
• Gogol Bordello (Sat. 7:15, Black Stage) If there’s any stage left standing after they finish, I’ll be surprised. Led by madman Eugene Hütz, this the wildest gypsy punk band I’ve ever seen. You don’t have to know a word of their songs to find your bliss when they perform.
• King Khan & BBQ Show (Fri. 7:40, Yellow Stage) Rock and Roll! That’s all you need to know.
• Parquet Courts (Fri. 3:45, Black Stage) From the bucolic surroundings of Denton, Texas to the frenetic energy of their adopted Brooklyn, these guys are funny, half-cocked, and superb garage rock. Anything could happen.

 

Elizabeth McQueen, music host 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday

• Archers of Loaf (Sat. 4:30, Black Stage) Yay! Archers of Load are replacing Desaparecidos! I’ll be there for the 90’s revival yelling, “Play ‘Web in Front!!!'”
• Big Bill (Fri. 10:40, Cheer Up Charlie’s)   Big Bill plays such perfect slacker rock that everytime I hear it I long for my twenties. It’s what Austin music sounded like before the great condo boom.
• A Giant Dog (Sat. 12:30, Orange Stage)  Any excuse to see Sabrina Ellis do her thing.
• Grimes (Sat. 7:25, Blue Stage) She’s an otherworldly punkartfairy who makes otherworldly punkartfairy that is just the best. Her latest single “Scream” featuring  the Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes will blow your mind even though you probably won’t understand anything but the screams.
• Peaches (Fri. 5:10, Blue Stage) Let’s hope her live show is as brilliantly dirty as her recorded music.

 

Matt Reilly, KUTX Program Director

• Doug Benson (Sat. 4:25, Yellow Stage) With so many great comics at FFF year after year it’s hard to narrow this down. Benson has been a personal favorite of mine since the late 90’s and his affiliation with Mr. Show makes his style pretty much in line with my own sense of humor.
• Benjamin Booker (Fri. 6:35, Yellow Stage) Booker takes Chuck Berry’s licks and dirties them up for a captivating live act that is a modern take on a classic sound.
• Gogol Bordello (Sat. 7:15, Black Stage) Are you a fan of chaos? Then this is your band. They call it Gypsy Punk, and I guess that’s apt, but this band is very likely to involve you in the show if you’re in the first few rows. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
• Jane’s Addiction (Sat. 8:30, Orange Stage) This hits the nostalgia button for me. They’ll be doing their 1990 album Ritual De Lo Habitual in its entirety and I’m interested to hear some of these deep album tracks live.
• Tig Notaro (Fri. 4:25, Yellow Stage) Understated is an understatement. Notaro’s comic style takes a minute to wrap your head around  but once it seeps in, you realize her brilliance. As a cancer survivor who recently had a double mastectomy, Tig has become absolutely fearless. Check out her recent HBO special to see just how courageous she is.