We’re pleased to announce the return of Beck to Austin City Limits on Apr. 27.
Beck is back with the release of Morning Phase, already one of the most critically-acclaimed albums of the year, being hailed as a companion piece to his 2002 gem Sea Change. In fact, the trailblazing singer and songwriter last visited the show in 2002, hot on the heels of Sea Change. Beck’s recent live performances have earned raves as some of the very best of his storied career, and we’re thrilled to have him return for our 40th season.
Please join us in welcoming Beck back to the ACL stage.
Information about how to get tickets to this taping will be posted in April.
Triple Grammy-winning artist Esperanza Spalding makes her return to Austin City Limits this weekend with a mesmerizing performance that transcends jazz. In a touching tribute Spalding dedicates the episode to legendary guitarist Jef Lee Johnson, who passed away January 28, 2013. The appearance marks their final performance together.
Joined by a stellar 11-piece band, Spalding performs songs from her latest release Radio Music Society, which scored two 2013 Grammy Awards, including Best Jazz Vocal Album. The album represents a celebratory vision of the artists who helped cultivate and inspire Spalding’s career throughout the years. Radio Music Society has received high praise from critics, who hail the album’s “journey through soul, gospel, balladry and big-band swing” [The New York Times] and “torchy swaggers, world-jazzy guitar grooves propelling smoky saxes, and political songs with only a Hammond organ for company” [The Guardian].
Spalding made her ACL debut back in Season 35, performing tracks from her 2008 breakthrough Esperanza, and wowed an audience largely unfamiliar with her music. Her appearance continues to be one of ACL’s most popular encore episodes. She has since gone on to capture the attention of audiences around the globe, leading to her stunning 2011 Grammy win as the first jazz musician to win for Best New Artist. Spalding’s dynamic relationship with her acoustic double bass has cemented her presence in musical history as a modern jazz virtuoso with “a light, fizzy, optimistic drive that’s in her melodic bass playing and her elastic, small-voiced singing” [The Times].
photo by Scott Newton
“The first time Esperanza appeared on ACL, she was a best-kept secret,” admits ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “But now the word is out, and the world is her stage. This time she also brings a stage full of incredible jazz musicians, and an hour full of new music. People will be writing about this show 50 years from now.”
Happy birthday to Townes Van Zandt, who would have been 70 today. One of the Lone Star State’s greatest songwriters, the Fort Worth native has an inestimable legacy – a few of his classic tunes include “Pancho & Lefty,” “To Live is To Fly,” “If I Needed You,” “Tecumseh Valley,” “Waitin’ Round to Die,” “Lungs” and “A Song For.”
Van Zandt appeared in a memorable episode in the very first season of Austin City Limits in 1976, as well as joining Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock and David Halley in a songwriters special in 1983. In 1998 ACL presented a tribute show led by his longtime friend Guy Clark and his son John T. Van Zandt that was so popular it was represented in 2000 as an ACL Classic. Please join us in wishing happy birthday to the late, great Townes Van Zandt.
In a few short years, the world watched Bon Iver’s progression from the “bare boned” yet profound debut For Emma, Forever Ago in 2008, to the lush self-titled LP. Justin Vernon came a long way from writing in total seclusion in a cabin in the mountains to collaborating with artists such as Kanye West and winning Grammys. When the group recorded this episode in April 2012, we were eager to see how this progression and critical acclaim would manifest in the performance. The result is a passionate, meticulously layered display of talent and musical tranquility.
In this episode, Bon Iver draws mostly from the eponymous 2011 album, starting with the opening track, “Perth,” and seamlessly leading into the next tune, “Minnesota, WI.” From there we get “Brackett, WI,” a beautifully-written track that appeared on the 2009 Dark Was the Night compilation album that raised funds and awareness about HIV and AIDS. Audience favorites included a more fleshed-out version of “Blood Bank,” complete with various horns, and of course the hits from For Emma, “Skinny Love” and “For Emma.”
photo by Scott Newton
Go here for more information on this episode, and check here to see where/when you can catch it. Be sure to follow our Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest ACL update, and subscribe to our newsletter for even more info. Next week: Florence + the Machine and Lykki Li.
Austin City Limits is excited to unveil more tapings for our upcoming 40th Season! It’s an eclectic line-up of music icons and innovators including Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Valerie June, Eric Church and Thao & The Get Down Stay Down.
We’re thrilled to have the debut of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, taping their episode on July 20th. One of contemporary music’s most powerful personalities, the Australian-born singer-songwriter of dark songs and dark voice will take the ACL stage with his longtime band for what promises to be a mesmerizing performance.
Tennessee-to-New York transplant Valerie June makes her first appearance on the ACL stage on May 28th, performing songs from her luminous debut, hailed one of “the 50 Best Albums of 2013” by Rolling Stone.
San Francisco-based folk-rockers Thao & The Get Down Stay Down tape their ACL debut on August 14th. Led by enigmatic singer-songwriter Thao Nguyen, the band has built a devoted following based on their spirited live shows.
Breakout country star Eric Church tapes his ACL debut on September 23rd, performing songs from his critically-acclaimed new album The Outsiders, which debuted at #1 on Billboard‘s Top 200 and Country charts. Spin proclaimed Church “the most exciting, sonically fearless singer in Nashville.”
Broadcast episodes begin airing this fall as part of ACL’s Season 40. Select tapings will be live streamed so music lovers everywhere can experience the performances as they happen, live and unedited. Visit acltv.com for news regarding future tapings, episode schedules and 40th Anniversary updates.
The first time Albuquerque-to-Portland band the Shins appeared on ACL was in 2004. This week singer/songwriter James Mercer brings a brand new crew in support of the group’s acclaimed fourth LP Ports of Morrow. The quintet samples the latest record with “September,” “It’s Only LIfe,” “The Rifle’s Spiral” and the appropriately catchy single “Simple Song,” hitting a real sweet spot between rich, melodic hooks and Mercer’s clever, literate lyrics. But the band also digs deep into the Shins catalog, bouncing through “So Says I,” from breakthrough record Chutes Too Narrow, and reaching all the way back to its debut by closing the set with “New Slang.” It’s a masterful performance by a band hitting the peak of its powers.
For its first appearance on ACL, Dr. Dog proves why it’s a favorite on the live circuit. Adding a dash of jam band spice to its psychedelic indie rock batter, the Philadelphia sextet knows how to have a good time playing, while still keeping its songs catchy and concise. The band opens this episode with “Lonesome,” the tune that begins its much-heralded seventh LP Be the Void, kicking off the show to rollicking effect. “Jackie Wants a Black Eye” and “Vampire” keep the party going, and by the time the Dog hits a trio of tunes from its fan-favorite LP Fate, ending with “The Rabbit, the Bat and the Reindeer,” Dr. Dog lets us know just why it’s been such a popular concert draw in its decade of existence. As executive producer Terry Lickona says at the beginning of the show, “Great songs and live energy make for a winning combination.”
photo by Scott Newton
To get info on when and where to tune in to this excellent episode, check here for local listings. Also, don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter orsign up for our newsletter for more updates. Next week: Bon Iver.
