As the Sound On Sound Music Festival approaches this weekend in the Sherwood Forest, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the huge acts occupying the top of the bill. For some authentic Austin flavor, check out these five local bands sharing the stage with your favorite headliners.
Magna Carda
The Forest Stage
Friday, Nov. 4
3:10 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Within a burgeoning local hip hop scene, Magna Carda seems to be fighting their way to the top with R&B-rap fusion and jazz-influenced tracks. The group met and formed at St. Edward’s University in 2012 and have been performing and writing music since. Songwriter and emcee Megz Kelli raps with a confident, feminine presence amid encompassing electronic drum kits and booming basslines. Their most promising single, “Angela Bassett,” effectively shows off the group’s ingenuity and uniqueness. Get ready kick off the festival vibing out with their silky smooth sound.
US Weekly
The Keep
Saturday, Nov. 5
2:20 p.m.-2:50 p.m.
While this punk-rock band shares a name with the national entertainment magazine, their sound is one of a kind. Their distorted guitar-centric sound is accented with aggressive screamo-esque vocals that carry the melodies throughout most of their songs. The quartet opened for alt-rock group Parquet Courts earlier this month, another Texas band with a similar sound, and will be performing their shout-rock again Saturday.
Leopold and His Fiction
Dragon’s Lair
Sunday, Nov. 6
2:20 p.m.-3 p.m.
Heavy-handed guitar strumming is paired with grainy rock and roll vocals in this local band’s new take on classic rock. Their sound is reminiscent of Cage the Elephant, but with an experimental edge. For a quintessential rock and roll afternoon, make sure to catch Leopold and His Fiction’s set Sunday.
Sailor Poon
The Keep
Sunday, Nov. 6
1:30 p.m-2 p.m
Austin Pussy Riot-esque band Sailor Poon is making waves after recently taking the prize for Best Austin Music Video of 2016 for “Leather Daddy.” Sailor Poon has a lot to say, and they speak their minds beneath a screeching guitar. Their hyper-feminist aesthetic reflects their mission statement, “SOCIETY MADE US OBJECTS SO WE MIGHT AS WELL PROFIT.” On their debut album Pooney Tunes, the group discusses sexual freedom and misogyny with a rebellious gravitas. If you are looking for a band with attitude, Sailor Poon is a must see.
Emily Wolfe
Dragon’s Lair
Sunday Nov. 6
1:30 p.m.-2 p.m.
Emily Wolfe is a renaissance woman. On her debut album, she sang and played guitar, drums and bass. Her passion shines through her indie rock ballads coated in Western flavor. Between gorgeous soaring love songs like “Marionette” on her EP Roulette to the dusty, washed out crooning vocals on her most recent single “Atta Blues,” her creative and impassioned voice makes her one to keep your eye on this weekend.
