Beyond the western horizon, nestled within the city of Austin, awaits a festival teeming with holistic musical vibes and a down-home appeal that you could only get from an oasis in the heart of Texas.

Stemming back to 2002, Austin City Limits is still holding tight to its roots this year.  Bringing together rock, hip-hop, reggae, world fusion, indie and local flavor, the festival is proving to have its most memorable year yet.

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Lollapalooza‘s first day may have had Lady Gaga, but day 2 was jam packed with artists whether you were a huge electronica head, an indie rocker or Bayside ska kid. We knew we definitely had our day cut out for us but with Grant Park’s massive size for a festival, we must have walked miles as we rushed to see band after band.

Some big names that got us warmed up for the night’s headliners included Stars, Metric, Grizzly Bear, AFI, Spoon and more. We were able to support our Los Angeles bands such as Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Soft Pack (San Diego’s close enough), Dawes and more as well. However, the night ended with fireworks during Green Day, Phoenix and Empire of the Sun. Take a look at our day in photos below!

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Well, it’s that time of year again, in which we all flood towards Chicago for all the same bands we saw at Coachella now Rubiks-cubed with a handful of other acts and headliners for three days of music, humidity, and wildly overpriced bottled water and pizza.  It’s time for Lollapalooza 2010.

And while Beatcrave will be offering up a list of the Top 5 bands you must see at this year’s Lolla, I thought I’d slip you a handy primer of the five bands you must avoid at all costs if you’d like to have a pleasant time in Chicago this weekend (and if you have good taste).  From hipster blog golden calves to appallingly plastic pop divas to ’90s rock jokes, these are the bands whose sets you can miss in order to nap, grab a slice of $20 pizza, or take an annoying picture of yourself in crowd with a band onstage behind you for your Facebook profile pic.  Just remember — you’ve been warned.

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One of the bands who received a ton of the hype in 2009 was definitely The xx. With down tempo sounds that almost dip into the R&B genre, their self-titled album has landed them numerous spots at festivals including SXSW, Coachella and plenty more. Fans have also slapped the “must-see” label on the band, because according to some, The xx has offered some of heavenliest and beautiful (but super soft) arrangements yet.

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With a location beyond the freeway, the walk was lengthy and I arrived to see a ridiculously long line for The xx at The Lawn Party. Knowing that they were scheduled to go on at 6 PM and that it was well past that point already, I regretted hiking all the way to a party to see a band I didn’t even particularly like. I’ve had an odd relationship with The xx’s latest album. There was an incredible amount of hype surrounding it during the end of 2009 and out of curiosity, I took a listen. My initial conclusion was that this was an indie rock band slipping into R&B territory, and that it sounded good but it also wasn’t anything extraordinary. My decision to walk to this party anyway was a way to give them a second chance. I thought perhaps I would enjoy them more live.

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SXSW continued for day 2 as I woke up on Thursday ready to see some more great music. Although Austin isn’t that huge, SXSW, itself, is quite large as there can be shows happening right in the middle of 6th street, beyond the freeway or a bus ride away. Thursday morning was the day I took the initiative to take a bus and see a show further away, and it turned out that it was very well worth it.

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