We are really excited to announce that we will live stream the upcoming Jim James Austin City Limits taping on Sunday, May 5 at 8 pm CST. Now our fans everywhere can be part of the evening by watching the taping in its entirety and joining the conversation. Subscribe to our ACL YouTube channel to be sure and get our latest updates and information on other live streaming events. And check out #acltv on Twitter for special behind-the-scenes commentary from our producers in the control room.
Author: michael
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Encore: Coldplay
This weekend we are excited to present a special episode featuring Coldplay. Recorded in September 2012, the performance features the band debuting several new songs off their most recent release Mylo Xyloto, including “Paradise,” “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” and “Hurts Like Heaven,” as well as old favorites like “Viva La Vida.” Originally presented as a New Year’s Eve special to ring in 2012, this show has become a new favorite. The band gave us an extra-special performance, and we’re thrilled to bring it back to the airwaves.
You can see for yourself this Saturday – check the listings for your local PBS station. You can also go here for biographical info, pictures and the setlist. Don’t forget to visit our Facebook and Twitter pages or sign up for our newsletter for more ACL goodies. Next week: Norah Jones and Kat Edmonson.
We here at ACL were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of George Jones this morning at the age of 81. Few country singers had as big an impact on the genre as Texas native Jones, whose career includes such iconic hits as “White Lightnin’,” “She Thinks I Still Care,” “The Race is On” and, of course, the immortal “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” He had a big impact on us as well, appearing on the show in 1981, 1986 and 1990.
“George Jones ranks right up there with Hank Williams in my book as one of the all time greatest country singers,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “He was the first major country star I booked in my third year as ACL producer, when he and his voice were in their prime. It was an uplifting, breathtaking performance.”
May he rest in peace.
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.
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.
Last night we were thrilled to welcome a pair of bands that reflect two sides of the Americana coin: Shovels & Rope, with their DIY gritty, lo-fi take on countrified rock & roll, and The Lumineers, who offered their polished and elegant folk rock sound. The two bands couldn’t sound more different, but both had two important things in common: a deep understanding of American musical traditions and a knack for great songwriting.
Few bands have as much fun onstage than Shovels & Rope – the joy Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent get from playing together is palpable. “Man you can tell the way they look at each other,” commented Roger Hayhurst. on YouTube,“A lot of passion in this.” The Charleston, S.C. duo charged every song with the giddy energy of musicians that looooove being onstage. Opening with the Southern travelogue “Birmingham,” Hearst and Trent joyfully hopped from wild-eyed folk (“Bad Luck”) to chicken-pickin’ C&W (“Kemba’s Got the Cabbage Moth Blues”) to balls-out rock & roll (“O’Be Joyful”), switching off between guitar and drums along the way. Hearst wailed her way soulfully through the menacing folk rocker “Hollowpoint Blues” as easily as the duo rocked out gospel style on the blazing “Tell the Truth.” As Chistranger noted during our live stream of this show, “Every S&R song I hear I think, Oh! This one! This one’s my favorite! But then the next one comes on and I start all over again from the beginning.” After setting the place on fire with the rock ‘n’ vinyl celebration “Hail Hail,” the band left the stage to a standing ovation, having won a ton of new fans. “Fantastic!!” enthused Suzanne Day on the YouTube chat. “The BEST new music I have heard in such a long time!!!”
After such a barn-burning performance, The Lumineers had to rise to the occasion, and darned if they didn’t do it. Like S&R, the Denver quintet takes American roots music and strains it through its own distinctive filter; also like the Charleston duo, The Lumineers take the stage as if its their home. From the stripped-down folk rocker “Flowers in Your Hair” and the bluesy honkytonker “Ain’t Nobody’s Problem” to the acoustic pop tune “ Dead Sea” and the old-fashioned folk song “Charlie Boy,” the band easily engaged a crowd primed for their indie folk sound. Even a new song, tentatively titled “Duet” as leader Wesley Schulz and cellist Neyla Pekarek share the vocals, captivated the fans immediately. (“Call 911,” posted fan Matt Stigal, on YouTube “cause Neyla has officially stolen my heart.”) The group’s huge hit single “Ho Hey” arrived early in the set, which seemed surprising at first, but given the anthems that dominated the second half of the show, understandable: “Slow It Down,” “Big Parade” and especially “Stubborn Love” encouraged massive sing-a-longs. For the encore, the group ventured into the audience for an unamplified take on “Darlene,” complete with xylophone solo, while an audience member held up the xylophone. Closing the show with a pair of unexpected covers – Talking Heads’ lovely “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” and the Violent Femmes’ raucous “American Music” – The Lumineers left the ACL stage in a state of bliss. “This is ‘genuine’ music,” declared fan Archangel Micael on YouTube.
“This entire concert is amazing,” proclaimed catperson74. “I don’t think I can wait until fall to watch again.” We can’t wait for you all to see it, either, but, alas, we’ll all have to be patient. Trust us, folks – the episode featuring these fantastic performances will be well worth the wait.
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Encore: John Legend & the Roots
Get ready for an exciting performance on this week’s Austin City Limits encore episode that includes two of the biggest names in R&B, soul, and hip hop: John Legend and The Roots.
Legend and The Roots perform most of the songs off of their 2010 collaborative album, Wake Up! Inspired by the 2008 Presidential election, Wake Up! features a collection of cover songs from the 60s and ‘70s that were originally written or performed by some of the most influential and timeless artists of the era, such as Donny Hathaway, Eugene McDaniels, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, and many others. Legend and The Roots both felt that something was needed in the stagnant atmosphere and lack of depth in music’s current state and that this album would deliver a sense of urgency and convey the change that was going on in the world at the time. Given the album’s themes/background, this is an episode that still resonates.
A few breakthrough moments in the episode include when Legend breaks away from Wake Up! once to perform “Ordinary People,” arguably his most popular hit from his 2004 debut album Get Lifted. Following that, Legend introduces the song “I Can’t Write Left-Handed,” which he explains was written by Bill Withers during the Vietnam War. Withers dedicated it to a soldier he met who was shot in his right arm and forced to learn to use his left hand to write. The powerful and soulful ballad is heightened with ?ueslove’s brilliant and passionate drumming.
Check your local listings for showtimes to see this special episode and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or sign up for our newsletter to keep up with updates on tapings and airings. Next week: Florence + the Machine and Lykke Li.