Encore: Florence + the Machine and Lykke Li

Austin City Limits made its name by showcasing the best American music, but over the past several years we’ve hardly limited ourselves to North American borders. This Saturday you can see some of the best music coming out of Europe, as we encore our fantastic episode featuring Florence + the Machine and Lykke Li.

Exploding out of the U.K., Florence + the Machine bring their unique vision of rock – incorporating everything from gutsy vocals to ethereal harp to raging guitars – to our stage for a blazing show. Twin anthems “Dog Days Are Over” and “What the Water Gave to Me” raise the roof as Florence Welch twirls across the stage like a beat-besotted ballerina. Florence fans know the score – this band is a force of nature.

The music of Lykke Li is more difficult to pin down, but that makes her work all the more enticing. The Swedish chanteuse (ACL’s first Scandinavian artist) deftly mixes elements of girl group pop, steamy soul and stately torch song for an otherworldly sound all her own. “Get Some,” “I Follow Rivers” and the gorgeous “Sadness is a Blessing” highlight this heavenly half-hour – tune in to hear Lykke Li’s distinctive sonic signature for yourself.

photo by Scott Newton

It’s a night of refreshingly unique indie rock this Saturday – check the episode page for more goodies, and your local listings for exact airtimes. Keep up with ACL on Facebook,Twitter and our newsletter. Next week: Coldplay.

ACL Salutes the 2013 Grammy Nominees!

The nominations for the 55th annual Grammy Awards were announced last night, and we’re happy to note that many ACL artists got the nod. Congrats to the Black Keys for their five nominations (including Record of the Year and Album of the Year), Jack White for his three (including Album of the Year), Mumford & Sons for their four (including Album of the Year), Alabama Shakes for their three (including Best New Artist) and Esperanza Spalding for her three (including Best Jazz Vocal Album). We also tip our hat to alumni Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Cliff, Florence + the Machine, Coldplay, Miranda Lambert, Tom Waits, John Legend, The Roots, Dr. John, the Civil Wars and the Avett Brothers for their Grammy nods.

If you want to see some of these fine folks in action, we have a repeat of the Black Keys’ episode with Sonic Youth on December 29, and new episodes featuring Jack White on January 5, Alabama Shakes on February 16 and Esperanza Spalding on February 23. Plus Mumford & Sons’ episode with Flogging Molly is streaming at PBS Video here. Please join us in cheering on our nominees – the Grammy Awards ceremony airs live on February 10.

And speaking of good vibes, we also want to give a shout out to our own Terry Lickona – ACL’s executive producer is also, for the second year in a row, co-producer of the Grammy telecast, as well as the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Recording Academy, the Grammys’ parent organization. The Grammys are in good hands!

The ACL Season 37 commemorative book is here!

Mumford & Sons, Florence + The Machine, Coldplay, Arcade Fire, Randy Newman, Lykke Li, Wilco. Maybe you were there for the tapings, or maybe you watched their performances on TV? Either way, we want to let you know about the Austin City Limits: Season 37 Commemorative Photo Book. Every artist who appeared on Austin City Limits Season 37 is here in this commemorative book packed full of incredible photographs, set lists, limited-edition poster art, taping programs and one-of-a-kind autographed art boards from the band members themselves. Published by Soundcheck Magazine, with photos by Scott Newton and Soundcheck’s Randy Cremean and Gary Miller and forewords by Newton and ACL Executive Producer Terry Lickona, the book is an exceptionally cool way to look back on a truly fantastic season.

Check out a preview of the 116 page book. You can find information on ordering here. Proceeds benefit KLRU-TV, Austin PBS – the longtime home of Austin City Limits.

Encore: Florence + the Machine/Lykke Li

Exploding out of the U.K., Florence + the Machine bring their unique vision of rock – incorporating everything from gutsy vocals to ethereal harp to raging guitars – to our stage for an electrifying show. Twin anthems “Dog Days Are Over” and “What the Water Gave to Me” raise the roof as Florence Welch twirls across the stage like a beat-besotted ballerina. Florence fans know the score – this band is a force of nature.

photo by Scott Newton

Season 37 Poster Auction!

Season 37 was such a memorable season for us – from moving into our new home at ACL Live at the Moody Theater to celebrating New Year’s Eve with Coldplay. Even though we’ve started tapings for Season 38, we’re not ready to let go of Season 37 quite yet – and you don’t have to either! As part of a fundraising effort for KLRU-TV, the producing station for Austin City Limits, we have organized an eBay auction of signed, limited edition band posters from last season!

Each band poster had a very limited print run and only a few were signed – each is extremely collectible for any fan of the band or the artist! The posters up for grabs include: Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Florence & The Machine, Gillian Welch & The Decemberists, Jeff Bridges, Miranda Lambert, Randy Newman, Raphael Saadiq, Steve Miller Band, and Wilco.

The auction will be up until March 10, so bid now and bid often to get your favorite performer’s poster into your personal collection.

All proceeds will go directly to KLRU-TV to inspire creativity, exploration and understanding in Austin – and beyond.

Season 37, Episode 11: Florence + the Machine & Lykke Li

Austin City Limits made its name by showcasing the best American music, but, as you’ve no doubt noticed, over the past several years we’ve hardly limited ourselves to North American borders. This Saturday, 1/28, you can see some of the best music coming out of Europe, as we present Florence + the Machine and Lykke Li.

Exploding out of the U.K., Florence + the Machine brought their unique vision of rock – incorporating everything from gutsy vocals to ethereal harp to raging guitars – to our stage for a packed afternoon show. Twin anthems “Dog Days Are Over” and “What the Water Gave to Me” raised the roof as Florence Welch twirled across the stage like a beat-besotted ballerina. Florence fans already know the score – it’s time for newbies to check out this musical force of nature.

Florence + The Machine “The Dog Days are Over” from Austin City Limits on Vimeo.

Lykke Li’s music is more difficult to pin down, but that makes her work all the more enticing. The Swedish chanteuse (ACL’s first Scandinavian artist) deftly mixes elements of girl group pop, steamy soul and stately torch song for an otherworldly sound all her own. “Get Some,” “I Follow Rivers” and the gorgeous, instantly memorable “Sadness is a Blessing” highlight this heavenly half-hour – tune in to hear Lykke Li’s distinctive sonic signature for yourself.

Lykke Li “Sadness is a Blessing” from Austin City Limits on Vimeo.

It’s a night of refreshingly unique indie rock on ACL this Saturday 1/28 – check the episode page for more goodies, and your local listings for exact airtimes. Keep up with ACL on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter for even more info on your favorite show. Next week: the return of the one and only Wilco.