UT Students Make ACL History

The first weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival kicked off with performances by Dua Lipa, Chris Stapleton, Chappell Roan and a group of students who made history.

West 22nd became the first band of current UT students to perform at the iconic music festival.

"We are all Longhorns for life and are extremely grateful for all the opportunities that the school has given us," Logan Madsen (vocals/lead singer) told The Austin Chronicle. "Austin is the live music capital of the world, and there is no other place than UT we'd rather be as an up-and-coming band."

On the road to ACL, West 22nd played more than 50 shows in Austin over the past year, including during South by Southwest (SXSW) at UT's Hook 'Em House at Antone's and at Longhorn City Limits, a free, on-campus concert series when Texas Football plays at home.

"We really value our education, so we've done the best we can to be full-time students and musicians at the same time," Gabe Acevedo (rhythm guitar/backup vocals), told The Austin Chronicle.

West 22nd performs during a SXSW music showcase at UT's Hook 'Em House at Antone's in downtown Austin in 2024.

The band plans to spend winter break in the studio, with their first full-length album scheduled for release this spring.

"We're doing things that I never thought we could have done," Jet Beck (bass) told The Daily Texan ahead of the band's ACL performance. "We're playing ACL, so the sky's the limit."

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