The Austin City Limits Music Festival, an annual acknowledgment of sound and culture flourishing in the Texan sun, has once again welcomed local talents to its stages, with this year marking its 23rd cycle through the calendar. In its evocation of local spirit, ACL Fest’s embrace of The Tiarras, a trio of sisters whose music threads through Tejano and early rock 'n' roll, stands as a testament to the city's diverse soundscape. "We are super excited. When we first got the email we thought it was a scam. We were like ‘no way, we have been waiting for this forever.’ We are working on an album right now, so we are hoping to feature some songs on our set," Sophia Baltierra expressed to KXAN in anticipation of their performance set for the second Saturday, October 12.
Alongside The Tiarras, the lineup features a cornucopia of local artists spanning genres and eras, from the steadfast presence of Asleep at the Wheel ensuring country enthusiasts get their fill of dosey-doe to Huston-Tillotson Jazz Collective manifesting the city's enduring jazz legacy with an appearance fresh off their first place victory at the Louis Armstrong HBCU Jazz competition, according to KUT, ACL Fest deals in the sort of eclecticism that can attract the ear of any passerby and perhaps hold it for a weekend or a lifetime.
The Baltierra sisters are not simply performers but standard-bearers of their heritage, with Tiffany Baltierra sharing,"We want people to feel that energy and take what you can and what you need from our music because we do the same from everybody else." The trio, ready to turn the page to their next chapter, will feature on the ACL roster, a fact revealed to KXAN with a blend of excitement and disbelief befitting artists on the precipice of a significant breakthrough.
Amidst the fest's array of talents stands Molecular Steve's family affair and a vibrant stage show as well as the ascent of Chief Cleopatra, who captivated the Austin scene with a blues/rock/soul hybrid and is now poised for her first ACL Fest appearance, a leap from the official city proclamation of Chief Cleopatra Day, a story of success and engagement with the community detailed by KUT. The representatives of Austin's sound, pridefully stepping onto the ACL stages, secure the city’s place as a beacon of musical diversity and resilience, year after year after year.
