“DIFFERENT GROOVE” marks Hood’s first effort for Little Dog Records and his first full studio album. A true collaborative effort, the album was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer/guitarist Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam, Roy Orbison, k.d.lang, Sara Evans, Buck Owens, Michelle Shocked, The Meat Puppets). Since it’s release, “DIFFERENT GROOVE” has garnered tremendous reviews. Mario Tarradell of the “Dallas Morning News” wrote, “If you merged early Bob Dylan with dashes of the Band and Al Green, you'd get the flavor of Adam Hood's front porch meets juke joint music.” Ken Barnes of “USA Today” said that Adam was “One of the most interesting Americana/country acts I've heard in a while.” Mr. Barnes also included Adam in his year-end “Best Of” list.

Adam is red-hot these days. He scored a hit single on the Texas Music Chart with “22 Days Too Long” and the corresponding video continues to enjoy national airplay on GAC-TV. He was also featured at the prestigious Austin City Limits Festival and was seen as part of a retail campaign by hip Red Dirt Music-inspired clothing line Southern Thread. Additionally, Adam appeared in an episode of “We’re An American Band” on the Documentary Channel. Adam is continually in the Top 50 on the MySpace independent Acoustic, Country and Folk Charts, with nearly 1,000 plays each day on his MySpace page.

Prior to "Different Groove," Adam, an Alabama native hailing from the small town of Opelika, had already begun to draw critical attention and build a strong following by touring nearly 300 days a year. In 2001, Adam recorded a demo of his songs, which circulated among Auburn University students and quickly created a demand for a full length CD. He released a live album, “21 To Enter,” a few years later, which further solidified his reputation as a talented artist.

“DIFFERENT GROOVE” marks a major leap forward for Adam and his music and has firmly established him as a gifted singer/songwriter to watch in the future.

Bruce Robison (left) chats with legend Guy Clark (right).

BMI also presented a Million-Air certificate to Carter's "Crossfire" co-writer and Double Trouble member Reese Wynans, celebrating more than one million performances of the tune.

BMI's Jody Williams (right) presents "Crossfire" co-writer and Double Trouble member Reese Wynans (left) with a Million-Air certificate.

Singer/songwriter Bill Carter kicked off the performances.

Austinite Monte Warden performs his composition "Desperately," a hit for George Strait. Warden co-wrote the tune with fellow performer Bruce Robison.

Bruce Robison performed familiar hits along with songs from his newest album Eleven Stories and 2007 EP It Came From San Antonio.

Sunny Sweeney introduces her distinct honky tonk to the audience.

Bill Carter belts out another tune.

Pictured are (l to r): BMI's Jody Williams, "Crossfire" co-writers Ruth Ellsworth Carter, Bill Carter and Reese Wynans, Sunny Sweeney, Bruce Robison and Monte Warden.

Photos by Eric England

On September 14th, the BMI Stage will feature the following artists beginning at 11:15 a.m.:

Sahara Smith, Adam Hood, Amy Levere, John Ralston, and Guy Forsyth.

For more info: aclfestival.com

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

SAHARA SMITH   
11:15-11:45am
A 15-year-old Sahara Smith placed second in A Prairie Home Companion's  "12 to 20" talent contest; now 18, the Austinite's forlorn voice cries, seduces and whispers, wrapping itself around her ageless lyrics.
www.myspace.com/saharasmithmusic

ADAM HOOD 
12:40-1:20pm
Alabama's Adam Hood released Pete Anderson-produced Different Groove in May 2007 -- a collection of truckstop poetry parlayed into soul-swaggering roots rock by Hood's rich vocals.
www.myspace.com/adamhood

AMY LAVERE  
2:40-3:20pm
Amy LaVere's tiny frame juxtaposed with her train-chugging upright bass and smoky vocals creates a definitively sui generis combo, aptly displayed on the Memphis girl's blithe sophomore album, Anchors and Anvils.
www.myspace.com/amylavere
 
JOHN RALSTON 
4:40-5:20pm
Lake Worth, Florida native John Ralston's Needle Bed (Vagrant Records) features lush pop arrangements and melancholy vocals that sound more Transatlantic than Southern. The troubadour will spend most of the Fall opening for Dashboard Confessional.
www.myspace.com/johnralston
 
LOUIS XIV 
6:40-7:20pm  
The New York Times called San Diego-based Louis XIV "very sexy and really glam" while Blender praised the group's "catchy send-up of retro-rock sleaze;" the group is hitting the road with the Killers this fall.
www.myspace.com/louisxiv
 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

THE STEPS 
11:15-11:45am
Youthfully exuberant Austin quartet The Steps swim in self-imposed '60s British rock exile, venturing out every now and again to nod towards post-punk exuberance.
www.myspace.com/thesteps

MARIO MATTEOLI  
12:40-1:20pm
Former Weary Boy Mario Matteoli's solo work reveals an introspective yarn spinner, and prompted the Austin-American Statesman to proclaim Matteoli's debut, Hard Luck Hittin', "would make his songwriting idols Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt proud."
www.myspace.com/mariomatteoli
 
CARY ANN HEARST & The Gun Street Girls 
2:40-3:20pm
South Carolina's Cary Ann Hearst takes ghosts and angels from her native South and channels them into cogent lyrics; her musky voice plays nicely with her country, blues and punk-tinged combo, resulting in raucous treats.
www.myspace.com/caryannhearst

TRENT SUMMAR & The New Rob Mob  
4:40-5:20pm
Trent Summar's farm rock smirks at expectations and the status quo; whether penning Jack Ingram's brassy single "Love You" or belting out his own "Pink John Deere," the native Tennessean packs an inimitable punch with every syllable.
www.myspace.com/trentsummar

JEFFREY STEELE  
6:40-7:20pm
While 2003 BMI Country Songwriter of the Year Jeffrey Steele churns out hits dipped in twang for mainstream country stars like Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw, his own live sets reveal an energetic performer who rocks against the grain instead of growin' it.
www.jeffreysteele.com

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

JENNIFER NICELEY  
11:15-11:45am
Tennessee native Jennifer Niceley's voice huskily combs through her dreamy reflections and intimate poetry set to a soothing balance of country and jazz, while sultry attitude simmers just below the surface of her beguiling tunes.
www.myspace.com/brandonrhyder

KARA GRAINGER   
2:40-3:20pm
Australian chanteuse Kara Grainger's moody debut Grand and Green River features ace players who've worked with Stevie Wonder and Jackson Browne, among others, plus a duet with Amos Lee, but newcomer Grainger's smoky vocals serenely claim the spotlight. Several tracks from the album are featured on Starbucks stores' in-house programming.
www.myspace.com/karagrainger1
 
PATTERSON HOOD  
4:40-5:20pm
Rock guru Robert Christgau has called Patterson Hood a "new master of the vanishing art of literal, narrative songwriting," thanks to songs exploring themes like heartbreak and organ transplants; in short, the Drive-By Truckers front man embraces the life's quirks and imaginative pitfalls.
www.myspace.com/pattersonhood
 
GUY FORSYTH  
6:40-7:20pm
Antone's Records artist Guy Forsyth crafts lyrics that exhale and meander through cantankerous melodies; poetically organic and decisively Austin, Forsyth's blues are worth catching.
www.myspace.com/guyforsythband

The Austin City Limits Music Festival is produced by C3 and Capital Sports & Entertainment. For more information on ACL, please visit www.aclfestival.com.