Live music beacon Austin City Limits offers a glorious hour of uplifting music for troubled times, featuring two of live music’s most powerful voices: husband-and-wife duo The War And Treaty and 2021 Grammy nominee, singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster. The new installment premieres Saturday, January 16 as part of the iconic series Season 46 – check your local listings for showtimes. The episode will be available to music fans everywhere to stream online beginning Sunday, January 17 @10am ET at pbs.org/austincitylimits. With live music on hold, ACL continues to provide viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance. The program airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings for times) and full episodes are made available online for a limited time at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding future tapings, episode schedules and select live stream updates.
Known for a live show that’s almost revival-like in its intensity, Nashville-based breakout act The War And Treaty showcase gems from their acclaimed 2020 album Hearts Town. Named Americana Music Awards 2019 Emerging Act of the Year, partners and collaborators Michael and Tanya Trotter deliver an impassioned ACL debut with their earthy, rock-infused Southern soul. “America, it’s time to unite. We need each other,” says Trotter from his piano bench as he leads the 10-piece ensemble and the pair drive home the plea for unity in times of division on “Beautiful.” The duo shine on “Take Me In,” a stunning anthem of inclusion, adding a verse from the Ray Charles version of “America the Beautiful” to powerful effect. The dynamic act reach new heights with a show-stopping number inspired by Charles, “Hey Pretty Moon,” closing out in dazzling harmony.
Blues and soul luminary Ruthie Foster returns to ACL for the first time in nearly two decades with a career-spanning set in a radiant performance. The Austin American-Statesman hails this homegrown treasure as “a transcendent singer with uncommon power and emotion” and she shines in a sparkling set accompanied by her 4-piece band and a trio of backing vocalists. Foster’s uplifting songs blend blues, folk, gospel and soul, including the jewels “Brand New Day” and “Feels Like Freedom.” Foster fondly calls her live shows “Hallelujah Time,” and a set highlight is the feel-good empowerment anthem “Phenomenal Woman” from 2007’s The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, showcasing her powerhouse vocals and contagious joy. She dips into the catalog of the mighty Staples Singers for “The Ghetto,” a gorgeous, piercing tune of history and social commentary.
“Given the troubled state of our country today, this may well be our most meaningful show of the season,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “There’s a message and a spirit behind the music that we all need to hear right now. We are also proud to once again celebrate Austn’s most passionate musical voice, Ruthie Foster.”
The War And Treaty setlist:
Five More Minutes
Beautiful
Take Me In
Jubilee
Hey Pretty Moon
Ruthie Foster setlist:
Brand New Day
Phenomenal Woman
Feels Like Freedom
The Ghetto
Runaway Soul
Season 46 Broadcast Schedule:
January 9 Foo Fighters Rock Austin City Limits
January 16 The War And Treaty | Ruthie Foster
January 23 Ray Wylie Hubbard
January 30 The Best of Spoon
February 6 Texas Icons: Jerry Jeff Walker & Billy Joe Shaver
February 13 Allen Toussaint: New Orleans Legend
ACL’s Season 46 premiered in October with standout performances from 2021 Grammy nominee Rufus Wainwright, UK country-soul sensation Yola, rock and country trailblazers The Mavericks, acclaimed Austin standout Jackie Venson, salutes to late ACL legends John Prine and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a celebration of 50 years of Asleep at the Wheel and more.
Tune-in, log on, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter, IG and TikTok. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.
About Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 46th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.
Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS, KLRU-TV and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, RigUp, the Austin Convention Center Department and Cirrus Logic. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.