Rising Female Americana Artists of ACL Weekend One

The first weekend of Austin City Limits showcased some of the fastest rising stars in Americana music. Ranging from indie folk to country pop, these artists reflect the best of what is yet to come from the genre.

Written by Joseph Gonzalez

Music festivals serve many purposes, but one of the most important is to spotlight new artists. Emerging artists have a chance to play on the same stages as Titans of the industry, and fans get to see future superstars play to intimate crowds. This year, all three days of ACL spotlighted future stars of Americana music. Tiera Kennedy, Clover County, and Bebe Stockwell are all women who proved that they have the ability to take their genre to new heights.

Friday: Tiera Kennedy

Photo courtesy of Kamren Kennedy

Performing Friday’s first set at 1:15 p.m. on the American Express stage, Alabama native Tiera Kennedy delivered a bright country-pop performance perfect for the Texas sun. With a sound reminiscent of Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert, Kennedy and her band commanded the stage with self-assured grace. To the crowd’s jubilance, Kennedy delivered a confident and classy cover of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” showcasing her vibrant voice and danceable instrumentals. Taking hold of the crowd, Kennedy led a singalong of the chorus to her rollicking, twosteppin’ anthem, “Jesus, My Mama, My Therapist.” The steady, muted honkey tonk guitar chords built to a celebration of a chorus where she proudly sang, “Jesus, my mama, my therapist know all about you / They listen, don’t judge me, they love me / With or without you.” In a set that emulated some of country’s greatest artists, Kennedy brought radiant energy and Southern, smalltown nostalgia to an appreciative, early audience.

Saturday: Clover County

Photo courtesy of Roger Ho

Clover County, led by AG Schiano on guitar and vocals, brought bootgaze to the BMI stage at 3:30 p.m. in its second ever festival performance. Drawing mostly from her latest album, Finer Things, and recent EP, Porch Lights, Schiano entranced the crowd with intimate lyrics and southern charm. The audience grew throughout the set as Schiano pulled in onlookers with hits like the meditative “Ultraviolet” and the seductively catchy “Limbo.” “When you were in limbo, did you dance with the devil / Sing for the lost souls, the low and disheveled / When you were in limbo, did you see all the ones / Who loved a little too hard they couldn’t move on,” she sang atop folksy guitar chords which built into an electric, cathartic climax. The band ended the hour-long set with “Virginia Slim,” a song that aches with yearning. Strumming her electric guitar, Schiano sang, “I used to be a junky for love / But I’m planning on giving it up / I can’t afford the late nights / I can’t afford the goodbyes.” Clover County, with its sensitive indie charm and southern soul, meditated on love in all its forms with a loving crowd on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday: Bebe Stockwell

Photo courtesy of Taylor Regulski

Off the heels of her debut album, Driving Backwards, Bebe Stockwell powerfully displayed  soulful pop-country and folk to the Tito’s stage. Joined by her band’s keyboards and bass, Stockwell delivered a cinematic sound to her afternoon set, aided by the Tito’s tent special lighting design. A performance standout, “Call Me Be Your Name,” featured brilliant falsetto from Stockwell as she sang, “If I never see you again / I know it hurts when you want to hold me / ‘Til I can’t find myself / I know you better than I know me.” Powerful drums and keyboard chords accompanied the chorus, the sound filling up the Tito’s tent. For the acoustic ballad “Want Me,” a light struck the disco ball on the ceiling, emitting dancing orbs of light across the audience and stage, adding a grander feel to Stockwell’s sorrowful lyrics about a failed relationship. Stockwell ended her early Sunday afternoon performance with the first track she ever released, “Love Me Back.” Harmonious keyboard notes danced around Stockwell’s uninhibited vocals and nearly percussive guitar chords. The crowd waved their hands back and forth as she sang the chorus, “Even if I can’t hold you like that / Would you love me back?” In just her third ever festival performance, the ACL crowd did just that.