Austin City Limits is probably fourth behind the three premier music festivals in the country (Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Coachella). The 2009 edition of the fest has the newly popular Kings of leon, the perennial headlining jam band Dave Matthews Band, and '90s alternative-rock cult leaders Pearl Jam headlining the event. Of the more than 130 other artists on the great, diverse lineup, several are making a stop in southern Louisiana either before or after their appearance in Austin.

Andrew Bird - An extremely talented Chicagoan that appeals to the indie and folk rocks fans equally. He's musically proficient at the guitar, violin, whistling, mandolin, and glockenspiel. I've regretfully missed him a couple times, but I hear he puts on a great show.

Arctic Monkeys - A highly acclaimed alternative indie rock band from England. I saw them twice in Chicago this summer (at Lollapalooza and at an aftershow) and the last time they were in New Orleans just after the release of their second album. They're returning now two years later to promote their third studio album, Humbug. The album is, for the most part, quite different from their first two but not in a Kings-of-Leon-way. The new stuff is good. Here's the official video for the first single, "Crying Lightning."

The Avett Brothers - An indie roots/folk-punk/grungegrass band from North Carolina. The San Franciso Chronicle described their sound as having the "heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, and the raw energy of the Ramones."

Blitzen Trapper - An experimental folk-rock band from Portland. Their third studio album, Wild Mountain Nation, garnered much critical acclaim as did their fourth, Furr. Furr was Rolling Stone's 13th best album of 2008 and the title track ranked #4 on the magazine's best singles of that year.

The Dead Weather - Jack White's (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs) new alternative blues-rock supergroup comprised of Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age), and Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs). I'm excited to see this band on Friday night in Atlanta on my way to see the Bayou Bengals play Georgia in Athens Saturday afternoon. Interestingly enough, Jack White is the primary drummer for the band. Check out the video for their singles, "Hang You From the Heavens" and "Treat Me Like Your Mother."

Dr. Dog - A psychadelic indie rock band from Philly.They've toured with My Morning Jacket, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Strokes, The Raconteurs, and The Black Keys.

Phoenix - A French alternative indie rock band. They've appeared on Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel, and Dave Letterman this year to promote their new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

Toadies - An alternative rock band from Fort Worth, TX best known for their 1994 song, "Possum Kingdom." The band reformed and released an album, No Deliverance, in 2008.

The Walkmen - An indie rock band with members from New York and Philadelphia. Four-fifths of the band met while in college at St. Albans in Washington, D.C. Their sound has characteristics compared with U2, The Cure, and The Strokes.

Full schedule below the fold ...

The weekend is all but here now, and the great live music I promised earlier in the week has arrived with it. As usual, Spanish Moon leads the weekend music scene. Friday, Frightened Rabbit will be joined by The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks. Both bands not only all have catchy, indie-tastic names, they also hail from the land of the Gaels, Scotland.

Finally, my show of the week comes on Saturday night when Syracuse indie rockers Ra Ra Riot (shown above) take the stage. I saw these guys and girls in New Orleans opening for Tokyo Police Club awhile back. They've also opened for Art Brut, who comes to Baton Rouge on Oct. 23, and British indie-rock group the Editors. I thought Ra Ra Riot were a lot better than Tokyo Police Club on the night, and I like their musical style better anyway.

I'm leaving for Starkville tomorrow afternoon for the LSU game (11:21 a.m. kickoff on Saturday) but plan on returning to Baton Rouge in time for a nap before heading to this show. Fans of the super-hyped Vampire Weekend will definitely like what they hear as the two groups have a similar sound. Ra Ra Riot's frontman, Wes Miles, actually has a side-project with Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend. Although with special thanks to their attractive violin and cello, Ra Ra Riot has a little more drifting, dreamy sound.

If you're looking for a show in the early half of the week, I suggest heading down to New Orleans. Tuesday, One Eyed Jacks will have lo-fi new wave outfit Crocodiles opening for The Horrors. Crocodiles opened for Holy Fuck at Spanish Moon in June, and they were definitely a surprise treat for me. The dark-sunglasses-donning duo were loud and fun. British garage rockers The Horrors will follow. They're loud in intervals but include plenty of extraneous sounds to please more ambient fans. The Horrors are worth checking out if for no other reason than that their names are, respectively, Faris Badwan (only actual name), Joshua Third a.k.a. Von Grimm, Tomethy (not Timothy) Furse, Spider Webb, and, my favorite, Coffin Joe.

Though Tuesday's show should be a good one, the dancers should save themselves for the following night at Republic New Orleans. Norwegian electro rock band, Datarock, have fun, dancy tunes that you've probably heard whether you know it or not. Their hit song, "Fa-Fa-Fa," was featured in three EA Sports games in 2008 as well as a popular Coke advertisement. "True Stories," a track in which the lyrics are all but entirely made up of Talking Heads song titles, was featured in EA Sports' FIFA 09 (see link for song with lyrics). Being a huge Talking Heads fan, I'm absolutely loving this song and this band at the moment.

As far as music is concerned, the Crescent City is the place to be mid-week, but the Capital City has, without a doubt, the show of the week. Check back soon to see what not to miss in Baton Rouge this weekend.

Only a day after the French duo, Justice, was removed from Voodoo's lineup, a huge DJ show at New Orleans' downtown nightclub, Ampersand, has been announced. Toronto duo, Jesse Keeler, formerly of Death From Above 1979, and Alex "Al-P" Puodziukas are scheduled to perform in the Big Easy on Voodoo weekend for the second year in a row. MSTRKRFT (pronounced Master Craft), as they are collectively known, are currently one the most popular groups in the electro house genre and have been commisioned to create remixes for dozens of artists including Bloc Party, Wolfmother, Justice, Usher, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The "Official Voodoo Music Experience Pre-Party" is slated for a start time of 11 p.m. on Voodoo's Eve (Thursday, October 29) and won't end until they shut the club down around 4 the next morning.

From now through Voodoo Fest, I will keep you updated on the latest happenings with the event. Today, talented Somalian hip hop artist, K'Naan, was added to Voodoo's lineup, but the addition came at the cost of Justice's removal. Justice, the French electro duo, were listed as performing only a mere DJ set at the fest as opposed to their headlining type of show, so this removal isn't as bad as it first sounds. Also, helping to ease the pain of Justice's departure from the lineup is the viable rumor that they may instead be playing an aftershow one night at a venue elsewhere in the city. Let's hope Justice will be served.

I disappeared from Red Stick Live over a month ago, but I have finally returned! I hope to get back to regularly updating you on the best in live music in the capital city area and beyond.

First of all, the show of the week is without a doubt happening at Chelsea's tomorrow night. Electrindie pop magicians, Chairlift, will surely be armed to mesmerize, despite the Red Stick stop only being their third show on their current tour. Many may recognize their hit track, Bruises, from one of those popular iPod commericials. I missed this band at Lollapalooza, so I'm glad they're making a quick sweep through the South at the beginning of this massive U.S. and European tour they've just embarked on.

The band started on the east coast a few days ago and virtually play every night from now until the end of October. They end up in L.A. on the 16th of this month. From there, they head up the west coast before trekking back across the nation through Chicago and the midwest and ultimately ending up in Miami somehow on Oct. 3. They'll depart Miami for France and finally end the tour in the UK with a show in London on Oct. 28.

Secondly, Voodoo Fest is just around the corner now and thus the producers have just released the day-by-day schedule. There have recently been some changes in the lineup and schedule. The two biggest changes are the loss of Eagles of Death Metal and the addition of Lenny Kravitz. The full schedule is below:

Friday October 30

Eminem, Ween, Silversun Pickups, The Black Keys, Fischerspooner, Janelle Monae, The Cool Kids, The Knux, Alejandro Escovedo, Ledisi, D12, New Orleans Bingo! Show, Preservation Hall-Stars With Special Guests, Benjy Davis Project, Papa Grows Funk, Little Freddie King, The Happy Talk Band, Lil Brian & The Zydeco Travelers, Erick Baker, Dj Soul Sister, Loose Marbles, Luke Winslow-King, Glasgow, Mynameisjohnmichael, Generationals, Why Are We Building Such A Big Ship?, Noisician Coalition, March Fourth Marching Band, Roots Of Music, Tbc Brass Band, Ratty Scurvics, Lucy's Walk, Bones, The Vettes, and More.

Saturday October 31

Kiss, Jane's Addiction, Gogol Bordello, Wolfmother, Black Lips, Mutemath, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Q-Tip, Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School Of Medicine, Drive-By Truckers, Morning 40 Federation Reunion, Down, Mates Of State, American Bang, New Orleans Bingo! Show, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Rotary Downs, Walter "Wolfman" Washington and The Roadmaster With Dirty Horns, New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, New Orleans Jazz Vipers, Sarah Quintana, Dan Dyer, Sam & Ruby, Leroy Jones, Dj Soul Sister, andrew Duhon and The Lonesome Crows, Noisician Coalition, March Fourth Marching Band, Roots Of Music, Mas Mamones, Zydepunks, As Tall As Lions, The White Bitch, Brother Taisuke Mass Choir, Davis Rogan, From Legends To Nancy, and More.

Sunday November 1

Lenny Kravitz, Widespread Panic, The Flaming Lips, Meat Puppets, Brand New, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, The Pogues, All Time Low, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jj Grey & Mofro, Shooter Jennings, Rebirth Brass Band, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave, Eric Church, Earl Greyhound, New Orleans Bingo! Show, Dj Soul Sister, Cyril Neville's Blues Revue With Tab Benoit, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & Johnny Sansone, John Mooney and Bluesiana, Quintron and Missy Pussycat, Fleur De Tease, Noisician Coalition, March Fourth Marching Band, Roots Of Music, Beausoleil, Leo Jackson and The Melody Clouds, Suplecs, New Orleans Jazz Vipers, Amanda Shaw, MC Trachiotomy, R. Scully Rough 7, Katey Red & Dj Papa, Big Freddia, Sissy Nobby, and More 

Please express your thoughts on the lineup in the comments below the article. I'm interested in how you feel about the lineup, who you want to see, or who you hate.

Lastly, I have decided to use this small forum I have to follow and support, in my opinion, one of the very best upcoming local bands that currently exists. I can't help it. I'm fascinated with GIVERS at the moment, and I know a lot of people in the Baton Rouge and Lafayette areas are too. Everyone I've pitched the band to has loved them, and I've recently had people ask me about them or tell me what I already know about them. They "give" you exactly what you want in a live show and that is FUN.

Do yourself a favor and see this band now before they're on a Chairlift-esque musical odyssey. It won't be too long. Your next chance is this Friday in Lafayette at Nitetown for their EP release party.

Baton Rouge Gallery will hold a First Wednesday Opening Reception tonight for three artists to kick off a month-long exhibition.

The work of Jenny Authement, Chris Dennis and Michael W. Howes will be on display through August 27. The opening reception is 7-9 p.m. tonight. The exhibits features "a menagerie of fish, birds and birdlike forms, along with installations reflecting the basic elements," according to John Byrd, the gallery's special events coordinator.

The Second Verse is the Same as the First, Dennis' exhibition at the gallery, features paintings that are deliberately ambiguous. As Byrd puts it: "the fish in these works are often surrounded by water but they are quite clearly 'out of it.' The birds depicted in others are wingless, earth-bound, stuck. The strangeness yet immediacy of the imagery draw on the viewer's preconceptions and invite them to create their own narrative."

Sculptors Authement and Howes, who have collaborated in the past under the name MJ Bronz, each have their own exhibits at the gallery. Howes's exhibit, IRDS @ CERTAIN SITES, feature sculptures that are part of a continuing series of works based on the bird-like forms called "Irds" as well as collage drawings. Authement's exhibition, Mystic Triforms, "references the artist's connections to the basic elements of air, earth and fire," Byrd said.

If a psychedelic trip back to 1970s hard rock sounds like fun, then you'll definitely want to be at the Spanish Moon this weekend. The Austin-based band Lions is bringing their retro riffage to Baton Rouge.

Since the band formed in 2005, they've put out an EP in addition to their full length album, No Generation. You may have also heard (or even played) their song, "Metal Heavy Lady" on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

Their furious guitar play, backed by pounding drums, creates a combination of Black Sabbath and early '90s Soundgarden. Those familiar with the Aussie trio Wolfmother will dig the screeching sounds of Lions.

Baton Rouge hosted the annual BabelCon sci-fi convention last weekend, and photographer Adam Vaccarella was there to capture the some of the three-day event. The festival offered included a wide range of entertainment, games and speakers in the science-fiction, anime and gaming industries. This year's special guest was Rekha Sharma, who played the Cylon "Tory" in the Battlestar Galactica TV series on the Sci-Fi channel. And The Consortium of Genius rock band played a Saturday night show.

Since 2002, Dave Longstreth has led a shifting accompaniment of musicians in a very unique and experimental indie rock group he calls Dirty Projectors. Thanks to Bullhorn Bandits and Chelsea's Café, the show comes to Baton Rouge this week. The current band lineup consists of only six members, but Longstreth has recorded and toured with more than 15 different artists and musicians since the project began. One notable former member is Ezra Koenig, who toured Europe with Dirty Projectors before forming his own indie pop band, Vampire Weekend. Dirty Projectors are also known for their great collaborations with artists such as Bjork and David Byrne. The band teamed with the former Talking Heads front man on the great track "Knotty Pine."

Dirty Projectors have always had a heavy vocal presence in their tracks. "It's crazy what you can do with a human voice, or a couple human voices," says Longstreth in a recent interview with Pitchfork Media, "It's so basic and it's so direct."

The band's latest album, Bitte Orca, actually features three singers, all of which are female. The record released to great reviews, including a 9.2/10 from Pitchfork and an 8/10 from British source, NME. The album carries more accessible and traditional song structure while sticking to some of the experimental, aesthetic roots of early Dirty Projectors works. And the outcome is brilliant.

Opening for Dirty Projectors are a local band from Lafayette called GIVERS. Their cheery, dance-inspiring tracks "Ceiling of Plankton" and "Saw You First" are featured on the band's MySpace and are similar in feel to indie pop band Of Montreal. GIVERS will set the stage with a fun, high-energy show that should get the crowd excited about a new, great local act. I hope to be able to visit with the band just before they go on tomorrow night and post the interview in its entirety this weekend along with pictures from the show.