New tapings: Jason Isbell and The Black Angels

We’re thrilled to announce a new pair of tapings for Austin City Limits: Jason Isbell on August 19 and the Black Angels on August 28.

Called “one of the greatest young songwriters we’ve got” by Blurt, Alabama native Jason Isbell first came to music fans’ notice in 2001 as a member of the Drive-By Truckers, acting as a major songwriting force on their acclaimed albums Decoration Day, The Dirty South and A Blessing and a Curse. He departed the Truckers and released his first solo album Sirens in the Ditch in 2007. Forming his own roots-rocking backing band the 400 Unit, Isbell garnered more huzzahs and fans with his next pair of LPs, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Here We Rest. His new record Southeastern is his most personal and fulsomely praised yet. “Southeastern is pretty serious business,” notes The A.V. Club. “Then again, so is life and the one that Isbell has lived thus far is certainly worth documenting, especially when the songs supporting it are this stunning.”

photo by Courtney Chavanell

Named in tribute to the Velvet Underground number “The Black Angel’s Death Song,” Austin’s Black Angels found themselves the spearhead of a new psychedelic revival soon after its formation in 2004. The band’s carefully crafted blend of melody and noise won over fans of both modern indie rock and old-school acid rock, and its LPs Passover and Directions to See a Ghost on the hip Light in the Attic label established it as a major force in underground rock & roll. 2008 found the band not only backing its spiritual godhead Roky Erickson for a pair of gigs, but also starting its own festival, the still-running Austin Psych Fest. Signing to the revived legendary label Blue Horizon, the Black Angels signaled a poppier direction with Phosphene Dream and its latest Indigo Meadow. NPR recently said of the band, “The music slunk through the crowd like an iridescent snake wrapping itself around each and every fan in the crowd, rattling its tail and hissing a slew of bittersweet, psychedelic nothings in the process.”

We’re excited to bring these artists to the ACL audience. Ticket details will be forthcoming – watch this space.

Encore: Spoon

Austin City Limits is always proud to welcome hometown heroes to our stage, as we do this Saturday with an encore performance by Spoon. It’s difficult to put that label on the band – though Britt Daniel and company have been mainstays of the Austin indie rock scene since the mid-90s, Spoon’s subsequent success on a national scale means the band belongs to everyone now, not just Central Texans.

This show from Season 36 is Spoon’s third appearance on ACL, and likely won’t be their last. The indie rockers invited some friends onstage for their first full hour, including the Honeybears’ horn section and longtime local axe-slingers Charlie Sexton and Craig Ross. The band was supporting its acclaimed LP Transference, gracing the crowd with new Spoon standards like “Trouble Come Running,” “Written in Reverse” and “Got Nuffin,” but also dipped into its vast catalog for fan faves “You Got Your Cherry Bomb,” “Nobody Gets Me But You” and “Don’t Make Me a Target.”

Check out the episode page for more info, and be sure to visit the Facebook, Twitter and e-newsletter sign-up pages to bring more ACL into your life. Next week: R&B magnificence with Raphael Saadiq and Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears.

Jesse & Joy ACL taping to stream live Monday 6/17

For all of our fans who can’t join us for the Jesse & Joy taping on Monday, June 17 at 8 pm CST we’re happy to tell you that we will be livestreaming the show on our ACL TV YouTube channel. Subscribe to our channel and join us for an evening with Mexico City’s favorite pop rock siblings. We’re excited to present this show to the duo’s fans around the world. See you then!

Encore: Jimmy Cliff

When it comes to reggae, Jimmy Cliff, whose ACL episode encores this weekend, is indisputably one of the greats. He first found fame as a teenager, with a string of hit singles in his native Jamaica. By the late 60s, reggae was spreading beyond the borders of his birthplace and Cliff became one of its first international stars with “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and “Vietnam,” which Bob Dylan called “the best protest song I’ve ever heard.” In 1972 Cliff starred in the acclaimed film The Harder They Come, writing and singing the hit title song. Other Cliff compositions like “Many Rivers to Cross” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want” have also become often-covered, much-loved reggae standards. Cliff continues to record and tour all over the world, collaborating with Sting, the Clash’s Joe Strummer, Kool & the Gang, Wyclef Jean and the Rolling Stones along the way. As popular now as he ever was, Jimmy Cliff is the face of reggae, as you’ll see for yourself this Saturday – check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time and channel.

Check out the episode page for more details, and drop in on our Facebook and Twitter pages for more ACL info, or sign up for our newsletter. Next week: Spoon.

Encore: Radiohead

The day after we recorded Radiohead back in March 2012, our reaction was, “Radiohead taped Austin City Limits last night. It almost feels like that’s all we need to say.” Even now we still feel the same sense of met anticipation. It was a happening that fans and we had personally been waiting for and it finally came to fruition. A band like Radiohead, (well, let’s be honest – there really isn’t a band out there like Radiohead) that can constantly challenge themselves and evolve to change their sound to continue to make beautiful and inspiring music is a rare gift. We are incredibly grateful to encore an episode featuring such progressive rock icons and modern day musical legends.

Radiohead open their set with “Bloom,” the busy and fitting song for the occasion that opens their 2011 self-released album The King of Limbs. From there the group goes to the piano-heavy and melodic “Daily Mail,” another new song from that year. The rest of the set features a collective mix of tracks from TKOL, Hail to the Thief, Kid A, OK Computer, and new singles. One highlight of the night is when they played a forgotten B-side, “The Amazing Sounds of Orgy.” Of course the essence of the night was captured at the very end when the band played the big hits and crowd favorites, “Idioteque” and “Paranoid Android.”

photo by Scott Newton

For those that missed seeing the taping live or the original broadcast last October, this is your opportunity to see what many described as being a passionate and “life-changing” performance. You can truly feel the energy of the band and the audience in this episode, and Thom Yorke’s dancing may even inspire you to flail around in your living room. (Seriously, if you don’t dance during “Idioteque” then there may be something wrong with your well-being.)

Don’t miss this weekend’s episode with Radiohead! And don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter for updates about ACL. Tune in next week for Randy Newman.

New taping: Michael Kiwanuka

Michael Kiwanuka may not be a household name – yet. But we predict that, following his debut taping on June 10 for Austin City Limits, the British singer/songwriter will become a fast favorite. He’s bringing his distinctively lush folk/soul/pop sound to our stage for a taping that will also be streamed live. Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel - http://www.youtube.com/austincitylimitstv so you’ll be notified not only when we schedule this stream, but also whenever we post anything. Watch online, wherever you are.

Growing up in London, Kiwanuka was exposed to a huge variety of music, becoming a fan of everyone from Radiohead to Nirvana to Jimi Hendrix. But it was his discovery of Bob Dylan and Otis Redding’s “Sitting On the Dock of the Bay” that put him on the path to his true voice, one comparable to soulful folk visionaries Bill Withers, Terry Callier and John Martyn. Starting as a session guitarist when he was just a teenager, Kiwanuka began writing songs at home for his own entertainment, eventually passing demos around in hopes of convincing someone to record them. But it was his voice that listeners connected with, which encouraged him to play shows, and eventually led him to a record contract and the Isle of Wight studio owned by British pop band the Bees. His debut LP Home Again reached #4 on the British charts and went top 10 around the world, earning him a gig opening for Adele’s 2011 tour and a slot at the 2012 ACL Fest.