Almost Heaven, an Austin experimental electronic duo, made their ACL debut Friday, Oct. 9. Catching the crowd bright and early at 12:45 p.m., the duo brought dancing, head-banging, and tears to Tito's stage.
Stefan Barraza and Jaelyn Valero stepped onto the ACL stage and immediately secured spots on my personal “Best Dressed” list. In an interview with the band, they discussed their stylistic choices and paid homage to local Austin designers.
“We love shopping from local designers and creatives. We do music and then we have friends in the scene who do custom outfits, It’s so cool!” Valero said. “Literally my entire outfit is all locally custom made by Austin Designer Myles by Maverick.gmp3 and the shoes were bought from yomme.” Barraza said.
Image Captured by Lorianne Willet
The duo opened their set with an otherworldly, entrancing and melancholic tune that had me swaying my head back and forth. Maybe it was the energy drink I chugged on the way to the festival, but I felt a sudden burst of adrenaline and made my way from the side of the stage to the very front.The best way I can describe their sound is music that makes it impossible to keep your feet from tapping.
An endearing mid-set moment was when the duo brought out a choir of four children to sing backup vocals on their song, “power music-elektrik revival”. The moment left the crowd collectively awestruck, myself included. It was a heartwarming way to include the next generation in their performance. The children were thrilled to be onstage, and their excitement was contagious, spreading throughout the crowd around me.
Image Captured by Lorianne Willet
As they performed “Fever Trying to Blow,” My friend and I looked at each other and immediately started singing along, lip-syncing for our lives like we were competing on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” With this song being a personal favorite of mine, I jumped up and down alongside singer Stefan, who also jumped off the stage to greet the crowd one by one. It was a genuine moment of appreciation for those who had stuck around to listen to the duo.
On top of controlling a crowd, singer Stefan took a breather and turned to Jaelyn on drums, saying “If I could build a drum platform 100 feet in the air so that the world can see you perform I would do it with my own hands.”
Image captured by Lorianne Willet
Having followed this band’s journey through local festivals such as SXSW and Psych Fest, seeing them perform on the big stage at ACL was truly an endearing moment that brought myself and others around me to tears. To witness artists so dedicated to their craft sharing a stage as big as ACL is an emotional experience in itself. It’s a sweet moment that touched the hearts of my own and those surrounding me.
Almost Heaven’s set was a perfect mix of chaos, emotion and pure joy. Their ACL debut left me with post-concert depression, but the thought of seeing them perform again gives me something to look forward to.
Cover Image Captured by Lorianne Willet