Month: February 2012

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Featured News

Congratulations to the 2011 Grammy winners!

The 54th annual Grammys ceremony has come and gone. While we were particularly excited this year because our own Terry Lickona co-produced the broadcast, we’d be remiss in not congratulating the winners, including upcoming ACL performers the Civil Wars, who took home trophies for Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Folk Album, ACL veterans Alison Krauss & Union Station, who won Best Bluegrass Album, Season 32 performer Corinne Bailey Rae, who earned Best R&B Vocal, and Season 34 alumni Foo Fighters, who swept the rock categories in the same way Adele swept the pop headings. Congratulations also to Coldplay, Wilco, the Decemberists, Mumford & Sons and Raphael Saadiq, who may not have won anything, but in a field as crowded as today’s music world, it really is an honor just to be nominated.

Looking for a complete list of winners and nominees? The Grammy website has you covered – go here for the details.

Categories
News

This weekend on Austin City Limits: Jimmy Cliff

When it comes to reggae, Jimmy Cliff whose episode of Austin City Limits encores this Saturday, 2/11, is indistiputably 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 Jamaica’s borders 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.

Jimmy Cliff at ACL: Behind The Scenes from Jonathan Jackson on Vimeo.

Head over to theepisode page for more information and some cool photos. Don’t forget to visit us regularly on Facebook, Twitter and this very blog for the latest and greatest ACL news, and check our excellent Tumblr blog for some cool photographic blasts from the past. Next week: Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers, followed by hometown heroine Sarah Jarosz.

Categories
Episode Recap News

Season 37, Episode 12: Wilco

“When people ask what kind of music Austin City Limits stands for,” executive producer Terry Lickona says, “ there’s one band that sums it up better than any other – Wilco!” Airing this Saturday, February 4, our fourth episode featuring this veteran modern rock band shows exactly why ACL holds Jeff Tweedy and company in such high esteem. Concentrating on its latest release The Whole Love, the Chicago sextet puts such stellar tracks as “Art of Almost,” “Open Mind” and “Dawned On Me” through their paces with near-perfect poise. It’s not all the new album, of course, as the band also drops a few deep cuts like “Bull Black Nova” and “War On War” into the set. And as the icing on an already delicious cake, Wilco tourmate Nick Lowe drops by with his classic “Cruel to Be Kind,” backed by the boys themselves.

Wilco at ACL: Behind the Scenes “War On War” from Jonathan Jackson on Vimeo.

Tune in this Saturday, Feb. 4, to catch all the Wilco action for yourself. Hit the episode page for more info, and your local listings for exact airtimes. Keep up with your favorite music television show on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages, and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter. Next week: an encore episode featuring the one and only Jimmy Cliff.

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ACL @ the Alamo News

Reel Rarities: The Flaming Lips and The Shins

If you’ve ever visited the original Austin City Limits studio and wondered why you can still find pieces of confetti in the rafters, there’s a good explanation. On September 21, 2004, the Flaming Lips brought their infamously colorful stage show to the ACL stage, and we’re bringing this excellent episode to the big screen on February 20 at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz.

Taped during the tour for Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, the show features all the balloons, animal costumes, white suits, fake blood and little bits of colored paper you can imagine. And music, of course, including Lips classics “Race For the Prize” and “She Don’t Use Jelly,” a special version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with Lips multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd’s father Vernon on sax and Wayne Coyne’s infamous duet with Cat Power on “War Pigs.”

The Lips were paired with the Shins, who were in top form while on the tour in support of their acclaimed Chutes Too Narrow LP.

We’re proud to present this night of indie rock heaven at the Alamo Ritz on February 20 as the latest installment of Reel Rarities. We’ll have trivia and prizes to give away, as well as a preview of the new Shins album. You can find details on the screening here. Tickets will go on sale a week prior to the date.

Reel Rarities: Handpicked Gems from the ACL Vault is an ongoing series at the Alamo Drafthouse. Tickets are $5 and the sales benefit our friends at the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians.