Enter your email address below before Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:59pm (CT). We’ll choose one winner to receive their choice of an ACL Script Necklace or ACL Dog Tag from the Online Store plus a $50 Gift Box from Dude, Sweet Chocolate).

Your jewelry arrives gift-ready in a fabric pouch stuffed with a quirky and cute felt puffy heart from our friends at I Like U. The Dude Gift Box has everything you need to satisfy any sweet tooth including a smooth-as-silk truffle, toffee, fudge, chocolate bar, six-piece package of artisan chocolates and a mini potion. Enter now!

2012 ACL FESTIVAL VALENTINE’S DAY SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST RULES
This contest begins on Thursday, February 2, 2012 and ends Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:59PM CT. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited by law. Only U.S. citizens and legal residents are eligible to enter. All prize winners will be chosen at the conclusion of the Sweepstakes time period based on the subjective creative evaluation of the Sponsor. Sponsor may use discretion to disqualify and/or remove participants if it is believed the participants acted fraudulently. C3 Presents (the “Sponsor”) is sponsoring a sweepstakes in conjunction with the 2012 ACL Festival. The sweepstakes rules are as follows:

SWEEPSTAKES DATES
This sweepstakes begins on Thursday, February 2, 2012 and ends Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:59PM CT.

PRIZE
One winner will receive his/her choice of ONE ACL SCRIPT NECKLACE or ACL DOG TAG plus ONE $50 GIFT BOX FROM DUDE, SWEET CHOCOLATE ($75 Total Prize Value). No cash option of prizes is available. No expenses incurred directly by the winner will be reimbursed by Sponsor. WINNERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPORTING AND PAYING ANY AND ALL INCOME, SALES OR EXCISE TAXES THAT MAY APPLY TO ACCEPTING PRIZES; SPONSOR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AND WILL NOT PAY ANY SUCH TAXES.

ELIGIBILITY
To enter, the contestant must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident alien of the United States. Questions about eligibility will be determined by documentary evidence (either a valid driver’s license, state ID card, or U.S. passport). No more than one entry per household will be eligible. No employee or immediate family member of Sponsor is eligible to enter the contest.

HOW TO ENTER
Visit http://www.aclfestival.com/acl-news/acl-vday/ and successfully add your e-mail address to the Official ACL Festival E-list. Check for winners on the Official ACL Festival Facebook and Twitter.

ODDS OF WINNING
Odds of being selected as a prize winner depend on the total number of entries received. All prizes will be chosen at the conclusion of the sweepstakes period by random selection from Festival Staff. The prizes will be awarded, regardless of the number of entries received.

NOTIFICATION
Winners will be notified no later than Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 11:59pm CT via e-mail or direct message.

LIABILITY; WAIVER
Contestant acknowledges that Sponsor is not liable for any entries that are either misdirected or incomplete, is not liable for any losses due to electronic or computer malfunction, and is not responsible for any injuries or losses (1) occurring during or caused by participation in the sweepstakes, or (2) caused by any prize awarded. Participation in the sweepstakes constitutes winner’s consent to Sponsor’s and its agents’ use of winner’s name, creative word, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. Prize winner will be responsible for any taxes assessed on their winnings by any governmental agency, state, local or federal. Sponsor will notify the Internal Revenue Service of all winnings to the extent required by law.

MISC
The mailing address of the sponsor is:
C3 Presents
300 West 6th Street
Suite 2100
Austin, Texas 78701
Attention: ACL Festival Valentine’s Day Sweeps

Any sweepstakes entrant may submit a written request to see the name and hometown of the Prize winners. SWEEPSTAKES VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

The 2011 Austin City Music Festival Commemorative Gravure Print is here! Designed by Austin artist Felice House and printed by Flatbed Press, the commemorative gravure is a limited-edition fine art print specially commissioned by C3 Presents to celebrate 10 years of the ACL Festival. Using the old-world intaglio printing technique, each print was meticulously hand-pulled by the Flatbed Press master printers and is hand-signed and numbered by the artist. Only 50 were created, and once they are sold will not be re-issued.

The series makes its official debut on Wednesday, November 9 at Flatbed Press from 6-9PM (map). Come on out to see the print, meet the artist, check out a live printing demo and enjoy yummy sips and bites. We’ll also have drawings for some great prizes including a pair of 2012 ACL Festival tickets and signed & numbered silkscreen editions of the posters. And, of course, the prints will be available for purchase to take home for your very own.

Make sure to RSVP below!

If you’re headed down to Zilker Park this year and you’ve got a smartphone in tow, download The Official ACL Festival App and make your weekend exponentially easier! Powered by Dell and AMD, ACL’s handy app is available for both Android and iPhone users.

What does it do exactly? Pretty much everything you need to whip your ACL Weekend into shape: browse the official line-up, create a custom schedule (or sync up with your existing schedule) and share it all on Facebook and Twitter. Speaking of sharing, ACL’s app also allows you set up group chat to use during the Festival with GroupMe so you can keep track of your friends!

With a full, interactive map of Zilker Park in your palm you’ll always know where you’re at, and if you need to link up with friends, simply drop a pin to share your location for a quick rendezvous. In the meantime, tune in to Slacker Radio’s ACL Festival stream right in the app featuring prime cuts from Festival artists to get you stoked for the show. Keep the power in your pocket before, after and during the show!

Browse The Lineup & Sync Your Custom Schedule

Put your Custom Schedule from ACLFestival.com in your pocket when you sync up the Official ACL Lineup and Artist Bio Pages — complete with official set times, bios & videos — with the App. Search for artists within the App or sort by stage/day. E-mail it, text it or share it all to Facebook and Twitter with only couple taps. Decide on what you want to go to while your at the park as you can access all this with very little or even no reception!

Interactive Map & Find A Friend Features

We’ve dropped the Official Map complete with every activation inside of Zilker Park during ACL weekend. From the entrances to the exits, the bathrooms to the stages, also the bars and the ATMs, the water stations and the medic tents this pocket resource is a must-have. You’ll also be able to share your location with the drop of a pin by sharing it in a simple way however you’d like — via Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, Regular SMS or a GroupMe Text Message directly from the App.

Stream Artists Taking The Stage In September

Access free, streaming tracks from artists on the ACL 2011 Lineup from our friends at Slacker Radio. You can even stream the station as you browse other parts of the App.

Group Chat Makes Your ACL Weekend Easier

Once again we are partnering with GroupMe to bring you the easiest way to communicate with your crew during the three-day party. This year, we bring the groups directly into the App to help streamline your days and experience trying to coordinate.

Your Weekend Pocket Guide

Get to all the important info you want with a just a couple taps with your thumbs. Get your festival questions answered by FAQ’s Answer Guide, browse the Online Store and more!

Firefighters Outside of Fort Davis

The Austin City Limits Music Festival has always made a commitment to doing the right thing for our city, our earth and the people we share it with. So, as we witnessed our friends, families and neighbors in Central Texas lose everything to the recent wildfires, we knew we needed to come up with a big plan. This weekend, we have a chance to do something monumental, and we need your help! Here’s how:

On Friday, September 16th from 10AM–6PM The Do Good Bus will be parked at The Volunteer Headquarters on Barton Springs Road, across from the Barton Springs Entrance (see map). Volunteers will be collecting donations for The Red Cross of Central Texas and The Texas Wildfire Relief Fund.

Artists playing the ACL Festival will be stopping by throughout the day to hang-out and take pictures with all of you do-gooders. Including,

• Suzanna Chofel
• Patrice Pike
• Foster The People
• Ryan Bingham
• North Mississippi Allstars
• Delta Spirit
• Brady Rymer
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
• And more surprises!

Festival organizers C3 Presents have pledged to match every dollar raised on Friday.

The Do Good Bus, a partnership with Foster The People, will be off to their next city and their next adventure, but on Saturday, September 17th & Sunday, September 18th, from 10AM–6PM Festival volunteers, Red Cross and Texas Wildfire Relief fund Volunteers will still be at the Volunteer Headquarters collecting donations. Stop by on your way into the park and give ‘till it hurts! Please donate cash and checks only.

About Our Partners:

The Do Good Bus: This unique LA Based Project follows a band from city to city, engaging volunteers in incredible projects.

The Red Cross of Central Texas: Every year the Red Cross responds to over 200 disasters throughout our nine-county area, providing food, clothing, shelter, health and mental health services to disaster victims. Their volunteers work 24-hours a day year round, to make the best of the worst case scenario.

The Texas Wildfire Relief Fund: In Texas 77% of our firefighters are volunteers. These Volunteer fire departments are grossly under-funded and ill equipped. 86% of these volunteers are using their personal funds to meet the day-to-day equipment and supply needs of their department. The Texas Wildfire Relief Fund was established to support these brave volunteers with vital safety equipment and the water, food and fuel necessary to continue battling wildfires.

THE BURN BAN IS IN EFFECT, Y’ALL

Like most of Texas, Austin is suffering one of its worst droughts in history and a burn ban is in effect for the City of Austin and surrounding areas. Please be hyper-vigilant during the Festival weekend. Avoid any type of activity that might cause a spark and ACL Fest will stay a safe and fun weekend for all.

REDEEM YOUR WRISTBANDS EARLY

This year ACL has four box office locations around Austin to make it easy for fans to redeem their wristbands before the rush at Zilker Park. Redeem before Friday, September 18th and you’ll be entered to win a pair of VIP Passes! Stop by one of the following locations before things get busy and you’ll be able to use ACL’s new Wristbands Only Gate to get to the fun faster!

• ZILKER PARK BOX OFFICE
  Get a jump start on your ACL weekend right now by redeeming your 3-Day Pass for a wristband at our Zilker Park Box Office, located on Barton Springs Road across from the main Festival entrance and open until Thursday (9/15) from 12pm to 8pm. On show days, the Box Office is open from 10am to 10pm.
• AIRPORT BOX OFFICE
  Redeem your 3-Day Pass for a wristband as soon as you hit the tarmac and grab your bags at Austin-Bergstrom International. Our ACL Airport Box Office is in the Baggage Claim and will be open Thursday, 9/15 from Noon to 8pm and Friday, 9/16 from 10am to 5pm.
• REPUBLIC SQUARE BOX OFFICE
  At our Republic Square Box Office – located at the corner of 4th and Guadalupe – you can redeem your 3-Day Pass for a wristband on Friday, Sept. 16th from 10am to 8pm. After that, just hitch a free ride on the ACL Festival shuttles to get dropped off at the Barton Springs Entrance on Barton Springs Road.
• LAVACA BOX OFFICE
  Downtown? Stop by our Box Office at Lavaca Street Bar – located at 405 Lavaca – and redeem your 3-Day Pass for a wristband on Wednesday, 9/14 and Thursday, 9/15 from 11am to 3pm.

GET TO ACL THE GREEN WAY

Choose from several earth-friendly, car-free options for getting down to Zilker Park and save yourself time and traffic troubles! You’ll also be doing your part to help us reduce ACL’s impact on the local environment, one of the Festival’s most important missions.

A friendly reminder, however, if you were still considering driving down: there’s no car parking around the Festival grounds, and ACL encourages fans to be respectful of the neighborhoods surrounding the Festival grounds and not park on those streets. Instead, consider one of these convenient alternatives:

• Free Festival Shuttles will be running non-stop from 10am to 11pm for all three days of the Festival. Board at Republic Square (4th and Guadalupe) and get dropped off at the Barton Springs entrance. When you’re done for the day, hitch another ride for the return trip!
• Get a little workout by biking down to the Festival, where you can safely secure your cycle on the free racks near either entrance (Don’t forget to bring your own lock!) If you end up needing parts or a quick repair, stop by the Mellow Johnny’s Bike Station at both entrances for fix-ups, locks, lights, tubes, or any other last minute advice or gear.
• Scooter & Motorcycle parking is available off Robert E. Lee in the Barton Springs Pool parking lot for those sweet, stylish wheels.
• Pedestrian pick-up/drop-off is located on Stephen F. Austin Drive at the north end of the Mopac footbridge. From there it’s only a brief – and beautiful – walk across the MoPac footbridge to the Lady Bird Lake Festival entrance.
• If you’re a city slicker and you’d rather take a taxi, pick-up/drop-off is on William Barton, just south of Barton Springs. But why not share a lift with friends or strangers, saving some cash and cutting down on the carbon? See y’all there!

Click here for the Festival Map.

DON’T MESS WITH THE CHAIR-FREE ZONE

Gotta keep those Chair-Free Zones clear! Make sure you’re pitching your folding chairs outside of the marked areas in front of each stage. Why have a chair-free zone? With all the action at ACL, patrons, security and emergency personnel have to be able to get where they’re going and dodging chairs shouldn’t be on the agenda.

Still, there’s a lot of space to stretch out at Zilker. Everywhere else outside of those designated zones is very chair-friendly. And just in case that chair or bag is becoming a burden, you can always drop it off for free at the American Airlines TM Bag & Chair Check next to the Lady Bird Lake Entrance.

LINK UP AT ACL WITH MOBILE APPS, GROUP TEXT, WIFI & MORE!

Take advantage of technology to get the most out of ACL Festival’s 10th anniversary! Stay in touch with friends inside – and outside – of the park, be in the know about cool happenings around the Festival grounds, know where to go when you need to take a load off and much more.

• After so much positive feedback from last year, ACL is once again getting together with GroupMe to utilize their group text messaging service in the Official ACL Festival App! Chat with multiple friends at once using any phone’s text messaging system and make meet-ups extra-easy by dropping a pin in the app and sharing the location with your group. Set up your groups in the “Group Text” tab of your ACL App, or head over to http://groupme.com/acl/.
• Get online with free Google+ WiFi at locations around the park! Hit up the Official ACL Map for hotspot locations.
• Download our FREE 2011 iPhone and Android Apps! Manage almost every aspect of your ACL Fest experience easily from the palm of your hand. Create a custom schedule (or simply sync up with your schedule on ACL’s website), get a multimedia rundown on this year’s artists, plot your course on the Official Festival Map, update your Facebook and Twitter and more!

MEET YOUR FAVE ACL ARTISTS AT THE AUTOGRAPH TENT

Stop by the Waterloo Records Autograph Tent to shake the hands that make the music you love and secure a signature from dozens of artists out of this year’s lineup like My Morning Jacket, TV on the Radio, Social Distortion, Foster the People, Broken Social Scene and many more. Austin’s proudly independent music retailer, Waterloo Records will be hosting these sweet signing sessions over by the Festival Store. See the full ACL Autograph Schedule and plan your celebrity meet-and-greet!

STAY SUN SMART [AT ACL]

Newsflash: Texas can be hot! While we’re all crossing our fingers for Mother Nature to send lots of lovely September weather ACL’s way, it’s still important to wear sunscreen, hydrate regularly and know your limits. ACL fans are allowed two factory sealed water bottles (up to 1 liter each) into the Festival grounds per day. If you’re really serious about staying stocked with H2O, you can also bring an empty refillable container or CamelBak and get topped off at the free, triple-filtered CamelBak Filling Stations. Yet another option so you never go thirsty: pick-up some H2O natural spring water at any Festival bar for just $2. With its eco-friendly paper container, you can refill it when it runs out, or just flatten it and recycle.

Austin-Travis County EMS will be stationed at various locations outside the festival to care for and transport anyone who may need assistance inside or outside the festival gates. If you need immediate assistance, visit the festival’s Medical Tent near the Barton Springs Entrance, or call 911. Even though temperatures have started to cool off, you are still at risk for heat-related illness. Click Here to get tips to stay safe from heat during the festival.

And don’t push yourself too hard! Fans are welcome to chill out and freshen up at ACL’s many misting areas. Remember, you can find all of these locations on the 2011 Festival Map. One final reminder: grab an appropriate SPF sunscreen with UVA/UVB protection and reapply often!

LOTS OF WAYS TO TAKE A LOAD OFF

ACL Festival is whatever you want to make of it. That being said, sometimes during this awesome weekend you want to just take it easy. We’ve got you covered. There are laid-back locales all over Zilker Park where you can step away from the excitement and center yourself until you’re ready to rock again!

• Sip a chilly craft beer, and catch the weekend football games on Rock Island Hideaway’s big screens.
• Stop by the ever popular H-E-B Zilker Beach for some downtime or cool off at misting stations placed around the Festival grounds.
• Need a perk up? The HOPE Farmers Market is the only place in the park to get a cup of coffee. Grab some java, view vendors’ wares and sample some of Austin’s local flavors.
• ACL Cares just east of the Barton Springs features organizations that are making this world a better place. Take some time to check out this important area and find out how you can help.

Check out the full list of Activities in the Park.

MIND YOUR ACL DO’S AND DON’TS

You’d be surprised at what some people try to bring into the Festival. Brush up on ACL do’s – and most importantly don’ts – to save yourself a possible awkward moment at the gate. Our list of authorized and unauthorized items is designed to keep fans safe and happy over the course of the weekend, so you’re going to want to leave marmots and margarita blenders back at the homestead. If you’re unsure about something else, the Official ACL Festival FAQs will fill you in on the rules regarding re-entry/ins & outs and other critical details you’ll want to know before the big blowout begins.

PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS GALORE AT ACL 2011!

If you haven’t heard, ACL’s turning ten this year. To celebrate a decade rocking out with the our incredible fans, we’re pulling out all the stop and firing off prizes and giveaways all weekend long. Here’s a few highlights:

• Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter during the Festival for surprise gatherings, official aftershow ticket giveaways, signed swag from ACL artists and plenty of coupons and giveaways to our Austin Eats restaurants
• Help us keep Zilker Park clean and take home a FREE collectible ACL tenth anniversary tee! Just grab a bag from one of our four Rock & Recycle centers and pitch in to help us pick up recyclables around the Festival grounds.
• Stop by the Honda Zone and enter to win a shiny, new 2012 Civic Si Coupe. Click Here to simply sign up at the kiosk and you’re in the running!

BIG FUN FOR LITTLE ONES AT AKL

Austin Kiddie Limits is a family-friendly favorite that promises to keep small-rockers-in-training busy with live music and activities that both teach and entertain. This year, AKL is proud to present a line-up that will appeal to everyone in your clan — including some surprising special guests! And wait until the tykes get a load of the activities they’ve got in store for them.

Kiddos can walk the walk, sporting Punky hair-dos and Rock Star Video Karaoke with 77 Kids – and a few (temporary) tattoos. Or explore the music with Zumba, hip-hop, drum zone and School of Rock workshops. On the creative end of things, they can decorate a colorful H-E-Buddy rock star puzzle, fill a canvas with Abrakadoodle, paint a Rockin’ magnet with Cafe Monet or discover an alter ego with Theatre Action Project. Why should adults have all the fun? The little ones are bound to have a ball down at AKL!

We strongly encourage our fans, employees and partners to comply with this directive and use extreme caution while in the park, or in the surrounding neighborhoods and areas surrounding the park like the Trail at Ladybird Lake. The safety and security of our community is our highest priority.

We also encourage our fans to use caution when parking in areas on or near dry grass, because the dry conditions are a fire hazard. Fans should also be aware, the Transportation and Austin Police Departments will be issuing warnings, citations and towing illegally parked cars along Mopac and Ceasar Chavez due to the extreme fire hazard.

Also, hop on the free Google+ WiFi and download the Google+ mobile app to stay connected with your friends by turning multiple conversations into one simple group chat. Add the Google+ ACL Host, Charles Trippy, to your circles to keep up with what’s going on in the lounge and around the festival.

Google+ is also providing this year’s Wi-Fi Hot-Spot coverage. You can grab some high speed free Wi-Fi courtesy of Google+ in front of the Google+, AMD, and Bud-Light Stages, and at the Google+ Lounge, Food Court, and Rock Island Hideaway. All locations are marked on the Official Map with a Wi-Fi icon.

When we were in town for South by Southwest earlier this year we decided to throw our first party in five years. The first band we booked was J Roddy Walston and the Business. Their high-energy, piano-led rock was exactly what we wanted to build the rest of the lineup around. Needless to say, they didn’t disappoint and since then I’ve been able to catch them a couple times on the road. At Bonnaroo they were sandwiched between Black Keys and Eminem and their set ended up being the one I danced to the most all weekend. It was by far my favorite at the festival.

J Roddy is the perfect pick-me-up at 2:00pm on a Saturday so you should definitely head over to the Bud Light stage and work your way to the front. Its the only way to properly experience their show. It’s perfect “Austin” music; Rootsy, gritty, sing-along, and it’ll likely make you wanna put back a few brews during their set – appropriately they’re on a beer sponsored stage. At the end of the day don’t be surprised if there’s some J Roddy stuck in your head. I’ve had “Brave Man’s Death” kickin’ around in mine since early this year and I don’t think it’s leaving anytime soon.

Make sure to catch J. Roddy Walston and the Business taking the Bud Light Stage at 2:00PM on Saturday. They are also signing autographs at the Waterloo Autograph Tent at 3:30PM on Saturday.

Take home a music lovers prize package from Austin’s own Gary Clark Jr. to remind you of ACL’s 10th anniversary! Enter to win:

• A pair of 3-Day Passes
• A signed Epiphone Acoustic Guitar
• A meet-and-greet with guitar virtuoso Gary Clark Jr.

All you have to do is add Gary Clark Jr. to your ACL Festival Custom Schedule schedule by 11:59PM Sunday, September 11, 2011.

And we’re not done! We’ll pick 10 Runners-Up who make him an addition to their Custom Schedule to receive a signed copy of his latest album, The Bright Lights EP. Don’t forget to catch some of his legendary guitar-work during his ACL set Friday, September 16th at 6:30PM, Gary is one of only a handful of 2011 performer’s who performed at the very first ACL back in 2002!

2011 ACL FESTIVAL GARY CLARK JR. CONTEST RULES
This contest begins on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 and ends Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 11:59PM CT. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited by law. Only U.S. citizens and legal residents are eligible to enter. All prize winners will be chosen at the conclusion of the Sweepstakes time period based on the subjective creative evaluation of the Sponsor. Sponsor may use discretion to disqualify and/or remove participants if it is believed the participants acting fraudulently. C3 Presents (the “Sponsor”) is sponsoring a sweepstakes in conjunction with the 2011 Austin City Limits Music Festival. The sweepstakes rules are as follows:

SWEEPSTAKES DATES
This sweepstakes begins on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 and ends Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 11:59PM CT. Winners will be notified no later than Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 11:59 CT via e-mail or direct message.

PRIZE
GRAND PRIZE: One winner will receive 1) TWO General Admission 3-Day Passes, 2) A meet & greet with the band either just before or immediately following their ACL performance, 3) An Epiphone Acoustic Guitar signed by Gary Clark Jr. Total prize valued at $430 in addition to the estimated value of the signed guitar and meet & greet. Winners must be prepared to meet our ACL staff at a predetermined area 30 minutes before the performance. An ACL Festival staffer will coordinate all prizes. No cash option of prizes is available. No expenses incurred directly by the winner will be reimbursed by Sponsor. WINNERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPORTING AND PAYING ANY AND ALL INCOME, SALES OR EXCISE TAXES THAT MAY APPLY TO ACCEPTING PRIZES; SPONSOR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AND WILL NOT PAY ANY SUCH TAXES.

ELIGIBILITY
To enter, the contestant must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident alien of the United States. Questions about eligibility will be determined by documentary evidence (either a valid driver’s license, state i.d. card, or U.S. passport). No more than one entry per household will be eligible. No employee or immediate family member of Sponsor is eligible to enter the contest.

HOW TO ENTER
Visit http://lineup.aclfestival.com/band/gary-clark-jr and successfully add the artist to your 2011 Custom Schedule. If you do not currently have a Custom Schedule, clicking “Add Band” will step you through the sign-up process. Winners will be chosen at random from the list of individuals who added them to their Custom Schedule.

ODDS OF WINNING
Odds of being selected as a prize winner depend on the total number of entries received. All prizes will be chosen at the conclusion of the sweepstakes period by random selection from ACL staff. The prizes will be awarded, regardless of the number of entries received.

NOTIFICATION
Winners will be notified no later than Tuesday, September 13th via e-mail or direct message.

LIABILITY; WAIVER
Contestant acknowledges that Sponsor is not liable for any entries that are either misdirected or incomplete, is not liable for any losses due to electronic or computer malfunction, and is not responsible for any injuries or losses (1) occurring during or caused by participation in the sweepstakes, or (2) caused by any prize awarded. Participation in the sweepstakes constitutes winner’s consent to Sponsor’s and its agents’ use of winner’s name, creative word, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. Prize winner will be responsible for any taxes assessed on their winnings by any governmental agency, state, local or federal. Sponsor will notify the Internal Revenue Service of all winnings to the extent required by law.

MISC
The mailing address of the sponsor is:
C3 Presents
300 West 6th Street
Suite 2100
Austin, Texas 78701
Attention: ACL Festival Promotion

Any sweepstakes entrant may submit a written request to see the name and hometown of the Prize winners. SWEEPSTAKES VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Unlike last week’s Artist Discovery pick featuring The Antlers, my next pick for must-see-at-ACL is the effervescent, overtly positive, wittily theatrical Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. And when I say theatrical, lower your brow just a bit; we’re talking an occasional dancing panda, a giant bubble-producing machine, lots of microsynth pedaling and two cheery dudes having a good time.

Because who says that in order to do serious work, you have to be so down about it? Not Joshua and Daniel, the frontmen behind the cheeky NASCAR moniker. Just this summer, Joshua told Rolling Stone, “We both believe that you don’t have to be this tortured miserable person to make serious work. We really taking making work seriously, we take the craft seriously, but we don’t take ourselves very seriously…It’s important to both of us to enjoy our lives.”

Case in point might be the cover of Steve Winwood‘s “Higher Love” that Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. added to their tour circuit this summer. The band has no plans to record and release this track — it’s merely for the crowd’s surprise and hopeful enjoyment.

But what you’ll find on their full length It’s a Corporate World are fantastic harmonies on “God Only Knows,” grunge guitars on “Morning Thought,” and philosophical talk on “Skeletons.” See? Surprising breadth for a “pop” band out of Detroit (who knew those two things went together).

Though not part of their live show but still noteworthy, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. stays knee-deep in other musical projects at all times, including remixing other artists like Junip.

So if you want to have a lighthearted time and momentarily forget the woes of the world in its present state, check out the guys who were called one of the “best new bands” of 2010 from the likes of Stereogum, SPIN, Under the Radar, Real Detroit, The Metro Times and others. You’ll smile, you’ll sway, and you’ll appreciate the effort they put into making sure the crowd has a damn good time.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. plays Sunday, September 18th at 1:30PM on the Honda Stage.

This week’s ACL Festival 2011 Artist Discovery Series feature comes from Caitlin Ryan of CultureMap Austin.