“Austinites’ ACL Fest 2009 Picks: JB Hager from Mix 94.7′s JB and Sandy Morning Show”

With so many stages and bands, ACL Fest can be overwhelming.  That’s why we’ve asked some of our favorite musicians, music bloggers, venue owners and other folks related to the Austin music scene for their ACL Fest 2009 Picks.  Each day for the next two weeks, we’ll be featuring their ACL 2009 selections.  Sure, you could just wait for the mainstream media to publish their picks, but would it be as fun.

I’m sure many of y’all did a double take when you read this title. I think someone just tweeted: “@socialTNT, brother, y r u interviewing a DJ from MIX 94.7?!” Well, first off: KVRX couldn’t get their ish together to send me their picks. And second: I grew up listening to JB and Sandy every morning, so you could say to some extent he was a part of my musical formative years.

So here’s the thing: ACL Fest isn’t indie, alternative, adult contemporary, hip hop, etc. It’s just flat out music. Each year they build the lineup to have the variety that attracts a diverse group of people. And it works. With this series, we wanted to reflect Austin’s diverse tastes of music–and I think you’ll find JB’s selections are totally down with that. Plus, the dude knows music! AND: Starting next week, he’ll be simulcast live on KEYE 42.

Here’s what he has to say about this year’s ACL Fest:

I’m looking forward to this years ACL festival more than any in the past… and I’ve attended them all. ACL can be a great place to explore new music, but I find it’s the best place to see legends that you never got to see and regret it. Because of ACL, I’ve been able to see Tom Petty, REM, and Bob Dylan. This has made for quite a connection with the festival and the park. I had always regretted that I never saw Pearl Jam. This is the year I make good on that.

And here’s what JB has to say about his picks:

Friday, October 2nd

Mischka 2pm

• Gotta love starting off the festival with a little reggae to set the tone. You never know if Mathew McCoughnehey might get a little nutty and join him on stage

Poi Dog Pondering 3:15

• This band takes me back to Deep Ellum in the early 90’s. This is very nostalgic to those discovering Texas alternative back in the day.

Phoenix 4:30

• This has been one of my favorite bands for the last couple of years. It’s some of the absolute best workout music I’ve had on the ipod. The cd “It’s never been like that” is one of my all time favs. Upbeat, uptempo rockin.

Kings of Leon 8:30

• I’ve been lazy and missed out on opportunities to see the Kings in the past. I’ve been hearing rumbling about them for years but didn’t dive into them unitl a couple of years ago. Seeing these guys will be like what it would have felt like to see Pearl Jam in 91-92. Plus, with brothers, you never know when they might self destruct. Gotta see them now. Their last two records will be favs of mine for life.

Saturday, October 3rd

Flogging Molly 4:00pm

• I’m more interested in seeing what the crowd does during this show. Will it be a lot of Irish foot stomping or break in to full on Riverdance? Should be entertaining.

Levon Helm 6:00pm

• Picked up “Dirt Farmer” on a whim last year. It’s grown on me. This will be a nice, lay in the grass sort of moment during ACL. Gotta save energy for the late night shows.

The Scabs 7:15

• Haven’t seen them since Antones a good 10 years ago. I’m long overdue for some Bob Schneider. His lack of worldwide fame makes no sense to me. We’re lucky to have so much of him in Austin and should show the visiting ACL folks what a big deal he is by showing up.

Ghostland Observatory 8:00pm

• My wife has never seen Ghostland. I think she’ll love this. For some reason, they just don’t translate to cd, so you HAVE to see them live to appreciate. My guess is they will be the the buzz of ACL.

Sunday, October 4th

David Garza 1:20

• This will be a great way to start my day with some homegrown. I’ve been listening to a lot of him lately, not even knowing he was playing ACL, so it’s sort of an omen.

Arctic Monkeys or Toadies 4:00pm

• This is a toss up. I’m not sure what to take in, I like them both. The new Todies really rocks and one of my fav songs of all time is Possum Kingdom. That song was ruined for me for years when I heard and saw this douchebag sing it in a karaoke bar. I’m trying to get past that.

The Dead Weather 6:00pm

• Jack White is just plain pure genius. I would go watch him clip his nails.

Pearl Jam 8:00pm

• Making up for lost time. Pearl Jam takes me back to being in my early 20’s and pissed off at all the crap on the radio PJ along with Nirvana, changed all that and I’m eternally grateful to them for changing the course of music. I don’t know if anyone can transition from an all out rock song to a ballad better than Eddie Vetter. This has the potential to be my favorite all time moment of ACL history.

Mix 94.7′s JB Hager’s ACL Fest 2009 Picks

JB Hager’s Picks, Simple List, by day:

Friday, October 2nd:

• Mishka
• Poi Dog Pondering
• Phoenix
• Kings of Leon

Saturday, October 3rd

• Flogging Molly
• The Levon Helm Band
• The Scabs
• Ghostland Observatory

Sunday, October 4th

• David Garza
• Arctic Monkeys
• Toadies
• The Dead Weather
• Pearl Jam

Related posts:

1. “Austinites’ ACL Fest 2009 Picks: Austin Music Video Blog ‘Nites”
2. “Austinites’ ACL Fest 2009 Picks: Nightlife Party Bloggers The Peen Scene”
3. “Austinites’ ACL Fest 2009 Picks: Alt-Indie Music Blog Austin Town Hall”
4. “Austinites’ ACL Fest 2009 Picks: Austin Emerging Music Blog TwoGroove”
5. “Austinites’ ACL Fest 2009 Picks: The Parish Room’s Sound Engineer Chris Payeur”