Float Fest takes place this coming weekend, and while the festival's lineups have gotten progressively massive over the past few years, the honorable festival bookers have remained loyal to Austin artists.  Joining MGMT, Weezer, and Passion Pit onstage will be a slew of local musicians who represent some of Austin's most electrifying live shows.  

Sweet Spirit - Arguably the most recognizable local act on the fest lineup, 'Queen Sabrina' never skimps on a live show. Raucous, empowering, and theatrical, a Sweet Spirit show is as magnetic as it is unforgettable.(4:45 PM Sunday @ Sun Stage)

Walker Lukens - One of the most creative singer/songwriters to claim Texas as home, Walker has put in the time to get where he is.  Eclectic pop diddies exude from his pores, while his hair may be the most recognizable in the austin music scene. (4 PM Sunday @ Water Stage)

Ume - A trio that levels all that stands before them, Ume emits swerving art-rock that rattles ribcages. Lead singer, Lauren 'LL', is a deceiving package of wanton destruction that shatters the stereotype of the girl-next-door. (3:15 PM Sunday @ Sun Stage) 

Los Coast - A soul-rock outfit on a hot streak, Los Coast is turning heads at every performance.  Trey Privott brings 'Stax-worthy' vocals to a swirl of multi-genre rock that ebbs and flows with volcanic zeniths. (2 PM Sunday @ Sun Stage)

King of Nothing - Originally hailing from H-Town, King of Nothing, brings enlightened rhymes to 'Skrewed Up' beats. Daren Napier channels the angst and pain of a life full of troubling transitions to elucidate a crisis of identity, and the music is stunning. (2 PM Saturday @ Sun Stage)

It isn't easy for a band to change monikers without facing the risk of losing any, if not all buzz their previous handle may have generated.  Not so, for indie pop group Young Tongue, formally The Baker Family. With the release of a digital EP "Cat Calls" the group seems to have made a solid push for relevance to an audience that may have previously dismissed them as yet another Americana family band, to which they couldn't be further from.  They are expected to release a full length LP this summer but for now we'll have to settle for the 4 track EP, full of rich percussion and dreamy omnichord backdrops. Saturday at Red 7, Young Tongue opens for UME and Megafauna. - Andy Bianculli 

Megafauna have been busy lately gaining speed. They've had a long string dynamic live shows, and the trio’s forthcoming album, Maximalist, has the right amount of grit and whip-quick guitar work from front woman Dani Neff to fill the slick 37-minute run time to the brim. Want a preview? Check out the album’s dynamic first single, “Haunted Factory”. I don't see Megafauna slowing down anytime soon, and I hope to God they won't. 
You can get Maximalist on the 15^th, but the album’s official release is part of the bill for the 101X Homegrown Live show, April 19th at The Mohawk. The all-ages event will serve as a benefit show for SXSW Cares and will also feature UME, Black Books, and Young Tongue. –Written by Marie Meyers