Without benefit of a time machine, the throwback materialized pretty remarkably: it was 1996, maybe ’97, all over again at Emo’s. Unfortunately, there was just a hint of Woodstock ’99 thrown in there, too — but[…]
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Ear Traffic’s best local albums and tracks of 2023
Given that Ear Traffic ATX is — with extremely limited historical exception — just one person’s thoughts on music, a little bit of disclosure and vulnerability seem appropriate here. So here it is: 2023 was an[…]
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ACL Weekend 2 Wrapup: Three days of a needed dis-disillusioning; best sets, song performances and quotes
Opinions on something like the ACL Musical Festival will never be unanimous. Every year, if you take more than about three temperatures on the lineup upon its release, you’ll find a wet blanket — no[…]
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ACL Day 3 Quick Recap: Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ fire is still intact; Yves Tumor is an eye-opening vibe; Labrinth’s badass ending
Through the entirety of ACL Weekend Two, no set I saw moved with the lightning speed of the one I anticipated more than any other. Yes, 16 years after I last saw them on a hot,[…]
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ACL Day 2 Quick Recap: Tove Lo low-key makes a mockery of Texas law; Foo Fighters, Tegan and Sara don’t disappoint
I’m sitting here with Texas’ infamous would-be ban on “sexually explicit performances” in front of me — the law so ridiculously bad that the latest judicial update is that an octogenarian, Reagan-appointed federal judge struck it down[…]
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ACL Day 1 Quick Recap: When the plane arrives on time, Kendrick is still the king; Ethel Cain brings a dude to tears
“Plane issues” was the reason given at ACL Weekend 1 as Kendrick Lamar arrived damagingly late for his Friday headlining set, then blitzed through as many songs as he could in half an hour before[…]
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