Though the propane fueled flames of ACL's first day were now contained, day two (Sept. 15) only heated up thanks to performances from local outfit Sound Team, former frontman of Deadboy and the Elephantmen Dax Riggs, and axe savant and petite songstress St. Vincent. Logging in as a few of the festival's most hyped and curiosity inducing sets, most notably Sound Team, which called it quits amidst a hometown crowd, the three acts all rolled out southern hospitality and tipped their hats to the Lone Star State.

Sound Team / Photo by Mark C. Austin

Sound Team
AMD Stage
They may have been stuck in a slot as the opening band of the day at the AMD stage at 12:30, but Austin's once rising stars Sound Team drew a pretty strong crowd of loyal locals and curious passersby with an ear for electro indie pop. However, this, their final show, was one of their tightest and most inspiring and deserving of a much larger crowd than was in attendance. They came bearing gifts of new material originally meant for an upcoming recording before the decision was made to call it quits. At one point three members manned keyboard and Moog consoles with a lone bass player left standing in the center. "Born to Please" was built upon a resilient bass and drum thump, while singer/guitarist Matt Oliver stretched his high-toned voice through the mic with his hands plinking along the keys. The more synth-generated sounds and guitars that resonated and washed out into the audience were a favorite. And, although the group is no more, the members are planning on continuing with new projects. So, maybe their sound won't die out completely, just evolve and multiply.

Dax Riggs / Photo by Mark C. Austin

Dax Riggs
AT&T Blue Room
The early afternoon crowd for Dax Riggs (formerly of deadboy & the Elephantmen) and his backing band the Blood Kings started off a little sluggish and hard to please. But, as Riggs and his crew lit up the stage with lightning bolts of bluesy rock bravado, everyone quickly caught on. Guitars both fuzzed-out and whining and the fast pace march of the rhythm section provided the backdrop for Riggs to fill every space in the song with plenty of hungry yeah's and quivering vocal pitches as they poured numerous songs off their debut, We Sing of Only Blood or Love. The songs featured plenty of the darker themes --- demons, death, graveyards -- but very little love was audible, but it was done in an a very high-spirited, rock'n'roll kind of way.

And, what rock show would be complete without some expression of political unrest. Riggs began "Radiation Blues" by saying, "This is for the war criminals that, you know, are still in power," and then letting into the brashest of rock. A barrage of powerchords and intense drumming ringing in everyone's ears was just what it took to get heads bobbing and joints bouncing. In one of the only encores of the festival thus far, Riggs and band offered a bit of Townes Van Zandt for the sun-soaked crowd. Afterall, it was Texas.

St. Vincent / Photo by Mark C. Austin

St. Vincent
Austin Ventures Stage
Big sounds can come in small packages. The crowd quickly filled in around multi-instrumentalist St. Vincent (a.k.a. Annie Clark) as she wrapped layers of beats, orchestral sounds and thickening guitar effects via sampler and pedals around her classically-elegant voice. Alone on stage with a guitar and a drum machine at arms length, she started bleeding when she tore open her hand during a particularly wild fit of guitar experimentalism. "And I'm bleeding. I'm always bleeding. It's a bummer," she quickly remarked and soldiered on. This began a bloody theme that continued with a murder ballad featuring a whispery lament augmented by a guitar riff that occasionally burst like a gun shot. Everyone stood there awed and captivated when she went into the dramatic haunt "Paris is Burning." She certainly has moved out of the shadow behind her previous work with the Polyphonic Spree to claim her own shaft of the spotlight. WILLIAM MILLS / PHOTOS BY MARK C. AUSTIN

For more on Austin City Limits, check out our coverage of Friday and Sunday