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Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News

Episode premiere: The War On Drugs

Austin City Limits spotlights the acclaimed American band The War On Drugs in a majestic new hour of atmospheric rock, featuring highlights from their current Grammy-nominated album I Don’t Live Here Anymore. The new installment premieres January 28 at 7pm CT/8pm ET on PBS.  Following the broadcast, the episode will be available to stream at 11pm CT/12am ET at pbs.org/austincitylimits for four weeks. The Peabody Award-winning program, recorded live at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas, continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history. ACL gives viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance as this American music institution nears its remarkable half-century milestone. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits following the initial broadcast.

The War On Drugs made a powerful ACL debut in 2015 and now return with songs from their two most recent releases, the celebrated I Don’t Live Here Anymore, the band’s fifth album, a 2023 Grammy Award nominee, and 2017’s A Deeper Understanding, which earned the band their first-ever Grammy for Best Rock Album. Led by singer/guitar virtuoso and primary songwriter Adam Granduciel, the Philadelphia outfit has steadily evolved into one of rock’s most compelling live acts over the course of a nearly two-decade career, deftly blending gritty heartland rock, richly melodic vocals and sparkling analog synthesizers on a series of beloved albums. The New York Times says, “With this fifth studio album, they’ve reached improbable heights with meticulously crafted, guitar-forward songs”; Consequence hails, “It’s hard to imagine a musical experience that’s more enveloping and uplifting”; and GQ raves, “[I Don’t Live Here Anymore] is easily the band’s clearest, most vibrant, and upbeat. You’ll want to play it loud and see it live.” 

The War On Drugs on Austin City Limits, Season 48. Photo by Scott Newton.

The septet open their set with “Pain,” a Deeper Understanding cut that perfectly demonstrates their ability to blend bright melodies with brooding synth textures and grand-scale guitar solos. Bandleader Granduciel guides the group through a series of adventurous and emotionally resonant explorations in the hour, including the lush soundscapes and familiar synth and guitar intro of title track “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” a radio favorite and the #1 song at the Adult Alternative format in 2022. “Thanks for having us on the legendary Austin City Limits,” Granduciel remarks. “Growing up without cable TV, this is one of the only things I grew up watching.” A wave of synthesizers signals “In Chains,” the closing number that mixes shimmering dreampop with anthemic rock, earning rapturous raves from the ACL audience.

“The War on Drugs are the perfect bridge between the legacy music in which ACL’s roots run deep and the contemporary sound of rock music today,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Lyrically and sonically, they represent a big part of the sound of ACL today.”

Episode setlist:

Pain

I Don’t Wanna Wait

Victim

Strangest Thing

I Don’t Live Here Anymore

Thinking of a Place

In Chains

Season 48 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 7   Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Sheryl Crow

January 14   Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats/ Adia Victoria

January 21   Adrian Quesada Boleros Psicodélicos

January 28   The War On Drugs

February 4   Pavement

February 11   Maren Morris

February 18   Spoon

February 25   Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Joe Ely

Watch live on PBS, or stream anytime. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding episode schedules, future tapings and select live stream updates or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter and IG. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

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 48th 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 Austin PBS 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 and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, Workrise, the Austin Convention Center Department, Cirrus Logic and AXS Ticketing. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.

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Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News

Episode premiere: Adrian Quesada’s “Boleros Psicodélicos”

Austin City Limits presents a Season 48 highlight with the first solo appearance of Grammy-winning producer/musician/bandleader Adrian Quesada, returning to the ACL stage to bring to life his acclaimed Spanish-language album, Boleros Psicodélicos, a love letter to the psychedelic Latin love songs or “baladas” of the 60s and 70s. Quesada performs with a nine-piece band joined by a hit parade of international guest vocalists from across the spectrum of contemporary Latin music, including Puerto Rico’s iconic iLe, Argentina’s Natalia Clavier, Mexico City’s Girl Ultra and Guatemala’s Tita. The new episode premieres January 21 at 7pm CT/8pm ET on PBS. The Peabody Award-winning program, recorded live at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas, continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history. ACL gives viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance as this American music institution nears its remarkable half-century milestone. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits following the initial broadcast.  

Multi-hyphenate and prolific multi-instrumentalist Adrian Quesada is known for his epic collaborations including the famed soul duo Black Pumas and Latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma. In a magical hour, restless creative Quesada returns with a labor of love, Boleros Psicodélicos, pouring his passion for the genre into an original tribute recreating the world of psychedelic Latin love songs with a set of Spanish-language gems of heartbreak, love and longing. The rare performance marks only the second time this music has been performed live, and Quesada is joined by multiple collaborators, eight of Latin music’s brightest stars, many hailing from Central and South America. These luminous performances celebrate the golden era of romantic bolero music and the psychedelic baladas that flourished beginning in the late 1960s, when Latin love songs began to sound even more grandiose than usual, bordering on the delirious. 

Mireya Ramos performs on Austin City Limits with Adrian Quesada, October 2023. Photo by Scott Newton.

With Quesada on lead guitar, accompanied by an ace band featuring string section and horns, the bandleader takes viewers on a journey of Boleros Psicodélicos, which features a mix of classics and new originals. Quesada welcomes guest vocalist Mireya Ramos, the leader of New York’s all-female mariachi Flor de Toloache, for “Tus Tormentas,” a ballad with a laidback hip-hop backbeat and impassioned vocals and violin from Ramos. Mexican-American singer Rudy De Anda takes the stage for the swaying, melodramatic bossa nova “El León.” Mexico City’s sultry Latin R&B singer Girl Ultra wows with velvety vocals on the stunning original ballad “El Payas0,” featuring a ringing vibraphone coda. Quesada welcomes magnetic singer Angelica Garcia for a soaring pair of songs, the opulent “Puedes Decir De Mi,” from the catalog of Cuban superstar La Lupe and the sweeping, sensual original song “Ídolo.” Carrying a colorful paraguas (umbrella), Monterrey, Mexico-to-Austin vocalist Clemente Castillo joins the band for “El Paraguas,” an acid-tinged ballad in waltz time featuring a dynamic Quesada guitar solo. Quesada introduces Argentinian singer and Thievery Corporation vocalist Natalia Clavier, who wows with her rendition of the boleros “Esclavo y Amo,” a drama-filled 1975 hit by the Peruvian combo Los Pasteles Verdes, and the song that first got Quesada hooked on this music. She delivers a sprightly, synth-frosted, rock-accented “¡Adios!” before leaving the stage to wild applause. Rising young Guatemalan singer Tita takes centerstage to perform the sentimental, seductive balada gem “El Muchacho De Los Ojos Tristes,” a cover of Spanish singer Jeanette’s 1982 hit and a crowd favorite. 

The hour closes with the final guest and collaborator, iLe, former frontwoman of Puerto Rican powerhouse group Calle 13. The iconic singer takes the stage in a dazzling emerald green dress to perform a pair of highlights, including a stirring take on Cuban singer and queen of bolero Olga Guillot’s 1967 hit ballad “Bravo” before closing the show with the opening track on Boleros Psicodélicos, “Mentiras Con Cariño,” featuring the return of Mireya Ramos with an emotional violin solo to rapturous applause. 

“Honestly, this is one of the most beautifully staged and emotionally charged shows we’ve ever presented,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “With Latin music’s popularity exploding around the globe, Austin’s own Adrian Quesada has curated a unique mix of singers reimagining one of the most classic genres of Latin music – the bolero. It’s a mesmerizing hour!”

Episode setlist:

STARRY NIGHTS Instrumental

TUS TORMENTAS Mireya Ramos

El LEÓN Rudy de Anda

EL PAYASO Girl Ultra

PUEDES DECIR DE MÍ Angélica Garcia

ÍDOLO Angélica Garcia

EL PARAGUAS Clemente Castillo

ESCLAVO Y AMO Natalia Clavier

¡ADIOS! Natalia Clavier

EL MUCHACHO DE LOS OJOS TRISTES Tita

BRAVO iLe

MENTIRAS CON CARIÑO iLe

Season 48 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 7   Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Sheryl Crow

January 14   Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats/ Adia Victoria

January 21   Adrian Quesada Boleros Psicodélicos

January 28   The War On Drugs

February 4   Pavement

February 11   Maren Morris

February 18   Spoon

February 25   Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Joe Ely

Watch live on PBS, or stream anytime. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding episode schedules, future tapings and select live stream updates or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter and IG. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

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 48th 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 Austin PBS 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 and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, Workrise, the Austin Convention Center Department, Cirrus Logic and AXS Ticketing. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.

Categories
Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News

Episode premiere: Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats/Adia Victoria

Austin City Limits showcases next-generation blues and soul in a new hour with one of music’s finest live acts, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats sharing the hour with soulful Nashville singer-songwriter Adia Victoria. The new installment premieres January 14 at 7pm CT/8pm ET, as ACL’s Season 48 resumes with six new episodes. The Peabody Award-winning program, recorded live at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas, continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history. ACL gives viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance as this American music institution nears its remarkable half-century milestone. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits following the initial broadcast.  

Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats have become one of the premier rock and soul bands of the past decade. The road-tested, highly acclaimed live outfit made a sensational ACL debut in Season 42 in 2016; now, in their return appearance, Rateliff and his mighty seven-piece Night Sweats showcase their bonafides with songs from their latest The Future.  Fueled by a crackling three-piece horn section, the combo turn in a powerhouse performance filled with highlights from the album, including the gut punch set opener “Survivor” and anthemic “Face Down In The Moment,” alongside the fan-favorite soul banger, “I Need Never Get Old” from their 2015 self-titled breakthrough. The band delivers non-stop grooves as frontman Rateliff skillfully switches from electric guitar to keyboards to acoustic, and, to wild, appreciative applause, the ‘Sweats bring things to a rollicking close with the high-energy rouser “Love Don’t.”

Adia Victoria and her band perform on Austin City Limits, Oct. 3, 2022. Photo by Scott Newton.

Next up is Spartanburg, South Carolina native Adia Victoria, making her ACL debut with numbers from the lauded A Southern Gothic, a 2022 Americana Music Awards nominee for Album of the Year, executive produced by T-Bone Burnett. A daughter of the South whose work continues the rich legacy of Black Southern storytelling, the Nashville-based singer-songwriter explores her relationship to the South and the South’s relationship with her as a Black woman. “What we do I consider to be church,” says Victoria, “Because I consider the blues to be sacred.” A captivating performer and storyteller, Victoria shares many of the stories behind her “gothic blues” songs. “This first song is about a young girl from South Carolina who runs away from home, too far, too fast,” says Victoria before sliding into the smoldering burner “Far From Dixie.” Her feral songs capture tension and confront difficult truths, touching on love and anger, for a spellbinding debut.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats setlist:

SURVIVOR

I NEED NEVER GET OLD

FACE DOWN IN THE MOMENT

AND IT’S STILL ALRIGHT

THE FUTURE

LOVE DON’T

Adia Victoria setlist:

FAR FROM DIXIE

MAGNOLIA BLUES

MY OH MY

AIN’T KILLED ME YET

SOUTH GOTTA CHANGE

Season 48 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 7   Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Sheryl Crow

January 14   Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats/ Adia Victoria

January 21   Adrian Quesada Boleros Psicodélicos

January 28   The War On Drugs

February 4   Pavement

February 11   Maren Morris

February 18   Spoon

February 25   Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Joe Ely

Watch live on PBS, or stream anytime. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding episode schedules, future tapings and select live stream updates or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter and IG. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

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 48th 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 Austin PBS 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 and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, Workrise, the Austin Convention Center Department, Cirrus Logic and AXS Ticketing. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.

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Featured Hall of Fame New Broadcast News

Episode recap: ACL 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Sheryl Crow

Iconic television series Austin City Limits returns on Saturday, January 7 with a special installment: Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Sheryl Crow celebrates superstar singer-songwriter and new inductee Sheryl Crow and features all-star performances from music luminaries Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Brittney Spencer and Lucius’ Jess Wolfe. The hour-long broadcast premieres Saturday, January 7 at 8pm ET/7pm CT on PBS. Check local PBS listings for times. The special will be available to music fans everywhere to stream online beginning Sunday, January 8 at 10am ET at pbs.org/austincitylimits. A special companion Hall of Fame hour salutes fellow inductee Joe Ely and will close out Season 48 on February 25. The Peabody Award-winning program, recorded live at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas, continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history. ACL provides viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance as this American music institution nears its remarkable half-century milestone.  The series returns January 14 ringing in a new year with all-new episodes as part of its Season 48. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits following the initial broadcast. 

Since the inaugural ACL Hall of Fame in 2014 honoring Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the music-filled salutes have become fan-favorites. For the first time, Austin City Limits takes fans inside the epic celebration with a pair of deep-dive one-hour specials from this year’s Inductions, recorded live in Austin, Texas on October 27, 2022. The special installments, Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors, bookend the second half of Season 48 and salute newly-minted inductees Sheryl Crow and Joe Ely with individual hours, featuring all-star guest performances showcasing each artist’s Hall of Fame tribute, along with extended highlights including memorable induction speeches and vintage clips from the inductees’ appearances on Austin City Limits

The first installment premieres January 7 at 7pm CT/8pm ET, and celebrates the music of Sheryl Crow. Music greats Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Brittney Spencer and Jess Wolfe (from the band Lucius), salute the nine-time Grammy Award-winning artist in an energetic hour featuring exclusive ACL collaborative performances. The captivating hour opens with highlights from Sheryl Crow’s Austin City Limits debut in 1997, performing numbers from her landmark debut Tuesday Night Music Club. Americana great and six-time Grammy winner Brandi Carlile then takes the stage to induct her friend with a heartfelt speech touching on both Sheryl’s humanity and her artistry; she cites her hero’s incredible catalog of “songs with substance,” saying Sheryl influenced her to be a better musician and songwriter. “I feel like a lucky girl because I get to sing the most fun Sheryl Crow song ever,” exclaims Carlile as the iconic riffs of “If It Makes You Happy” kick off the musical salute. 

Sheryl Crow accepts her induction into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, Oct. 27, 2022. Photo courtesy Austin City Limits.

Backed by the ACL All-Stars led by music director Lloyd Maines, and joined by Sheryl’s longtime guitarist Peter Stroud, a hit parade of artists sing her praises: country breakout Brittney Spencer recounts first meeting Sheryl in an airport coffee shop and credits Sheryl with helping her find her artistic voice before rendering a sparkling “My Favorite Mistake”; Next, in a hilarious intro, ACL favorite Jason Isbell claims most rock stars “are real goddamn weird” before praising Crow as one of the exceptions: “a complete and unbroken human being.” Isbell then launches into a scorching performance of Crow’s “Run, Baby, Run,”  the album opener of Crow’s 1993 debut, with his tenor vocals and stellar guitar skills proving a perfect match for the soulful pop tune. Crow herself takes the stage as a duet partner with Jess Wolfe from Lucius on the standout “Strong Enough” and then joins Brandi Carlile for the irresistible “Everyday Is A Winding Road,” as the two trade verses on the classic. The finale features Sheryl seated center stage on organ for “I Shall Believe,” the moving closer from Tuesday Night Music Club, with Carlile, Spencer, Wolfe and Isbell joining in on gorgeous backing vocals and guitar.

“The whole idea behind our annual Hall of Fame celebration is to honor the artists who helped to build the legacy of Austin City Limits for almost half a century,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “There’s a special magic that happens with these annual shows, and it’s just too much to pack in a single one-hour episode, so we decided to give each honoree their own hour and not sacrifice a single word or note of music.”

Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Sheryl Crow setlist:
Brandi Carlile “If It Makes You Happy” 

Brittney Spencer “My Favorite Mistake”

Jason Isbell “Run, Baby, Run” 

Sheryl Crow & Lucius’ Jess Wolfe “Strong Enough“  

Brandi Carlile & Sheryl Crow “Everyday Is A Winding Road”

Sheryl Crow & All-Star Finale “I Shall Believe” 

Sheryl Crow and friends perform “I Shall Believe” as the finale for the ACL Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Oct. 27, 2022. L-R: Lloyd Maines, Peter Stroud, David Grissom (behind Stroud), Jason Isbell, Tom Van Schaik, Bill Whitbeck, Crow, Jess Wolfe, Brandi Carlile, Brittney Spencer and Chris Gage. Photo courtesy Austin City Limits.

The second half of Season 48 continues in January with a diverse slate spotlighting multiple 2023 Grammy nominees in full-hour performances: One of modern rock’s premier bands, and first-time Grammy nominees, Austin’s own Spoon, return to the ACL stage for their fifth appearance, showcasing their celebrated tenth album, Lucifer On The Sofa, Grammy-nominated for Best Rock Album; multi-platinum, award-winning country star and Texas native Maren Morris makes a highly-anticipated ACL debut in a radiant, career-spanning hour with the hitmaker showcasing gems from her latest Humble Quest, which earned a trio of 2023 Grammy nominations, including Best Country Album; acclaimed rock act The War on Drugs return for their second appearance with selections from the Grammy-nominated I Don’t Live Here Anymore. Legendary alternative rock pioneers Pavement make their first-ever appearance on the series in a career-spanning hour marking their thirtieth anniversary. Rocking soul act Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats return for their second appearance with their latest The Future in an ecstatic live performance; sharing the hour is soulful Nashville singer-songwriter Adia Victoria, making her ACL debut with numbers from her acclaimed A Southern Gothic, a 2022 Americana Music Awards nominee for Album of the Year.

A Season 48 highlight is the first solo appearance of multi-hyphenate Adrian Quesada, returning to the ACL stage to bring to life his acclaimed Spanish-language album, Boleros Psicodélicos, a love letter to the psychedelic Latin love songs “baladas” of the sixties and seventies; Quesada performs with a nine-piece band joined by an international line-up of guest vocalists from across the spectrum of contemporary Latin music, including iLe, Natalia Clavier, Girl Ultra and Clemente Castillo, in a thrilling must-see hour.

Rounding out Season 48 on February 25 st 7pm CT/8pm ET is a Hall of Fame tribute to Texas legend Joe Ely, Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Joe Ely, featuring a musical salute from revered Lone Star musicians and Ely’s longtime collaborators in Texas supergroup The Flatlanders, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, along with fellow Texans Rodney Crowell and Marcia Ball. The hour features a memorable induction by renowned Texan author Lawrence Wright along with historic highlights from the influential Ely’s eleven appearances on the ACL stage.

Season 48 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 7   Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Sheryl Crow

January 14   Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats/ Adia Victoria

January 21   Adrian Quesada Boleros Psicodélicos

January 28   The War On Drugs

February 4   Pavement

February 11   Maren Morris

February 18   Spoon

February 25   Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Joe Ely

Watch live on PBS, or stream anytime on PBS.org. The series will continue to air fan-favorite encore episodes through the end of 2022. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter and IG. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

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 48th 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 Austin PBS 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 and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, Workrise, the Austin Convention Center Department, Cirrus Logic and AXS Ticketing. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.

Austin City Limits Hall of Fame

In 2014, Austin PBS, KLRU-TV — creator and producer of the legendary PBS show Austin City Limits — established the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame to recognize legendary musicians and key individuals who have been instrumental in making television’s longest-running popular music show an institution. Each year a new class of honorees are inducted and celebrated at a live event taped to air on PBS. It is also a historical archive, educational resource and celebration of Austin City Limits —telling the story of the show through photos, a timeline/anthology mural and in the near future, an interactive database of vintage Austin City Limits performances and video footage of interviews, behind-the-scenes and never before seen performances throughout the decades. Honorees to-date include Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Lloyd Maines, Asleep at the Wheel, Loretta Lynn, Flaco Jiménez, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, B.B. King, Rosanne Cash, The Neville Brothers, Roy Orbison, Marcia Ball, Ray Charles, Los Lobos, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Buddy Guy, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Alejandro Escovedo, Joe Ely and Sheryl Crow.

Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame is produced by Austin PBS and funding is provided in part by AXS Ticketing, American Honda Motor Company, Netspend Corporation and YETI.

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Featured New Broadcast News

Austin City Limits announces full Season 48 broadcast schedule

Iconic television series Austin City Limits proudly announces the second half of Season 48, with six new episodes that start airing in January 2023 as part of the esteemed program’s fourteen-episode season. ACL returns with a stellar slate of all-new broadcast episodes, showcasing magnetic performances that feature some of today’s most talked-about live acts including recent 2023 Grammy Award nominees Spoon, Maren Morris and The War on Drugs. The program returns on Saturday, January 7 at 7pm CT/8pm ET with a special broadcast, Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Sheryl Crow highlighting new inductee Sheryl Crow and featuring all-star performances; a special companion Hall of Fame hour salutes fellow inductee Joe Ely and will close out Season 48 on February 25. The Peabody Award-winning program, recorded live at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas, continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history. ACL gives viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance as this American music institution nears its remarkable half-century milestone. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits following the initial broadcast. 

Since the inaugural ACL Hall of Fame in 2014 honoring Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the music-filled salutes have become fan-favorites. For the first time, Austin City Limits takes fans inside the epic celebration with a pair of deep-dive one-hour specials from this year’s Inductions, recorded live in Austin, Texas on October 27, 2022. The special installments, Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors, will bookend the second half of the season and salute newly-minted inductees Sheryl Crow and Joe Ely with individual hours, featuring guest performances showcasing each artist’s Hall of Fame tribute, along with extended highlights including memorable induction speeches and vintage clips from the inductees’ appearances on Austin City Limits

The first HOF episode premieres January 7 at 7pm CT/8pm ET, celebrating Sheryl Crow. Music greats Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Brittney Spencer and Lucius’ Jess Wolfe salute the nine-time Grammy Award-winning artist in a must-see hour featuring exclusive ACL collaborative performances. Rounding out Season 48 on February 25 st 7pm CT/8pm ET is a Hall of Fame tribute to Texas legend Joe Ely, Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Joe Ely, featuring a musical salute from revered Lone Star musicians and Ely’s longtime collaborators in Texas supergroup The Flatlanders, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, along with fellow Texans Rodney Crowell and Marcia Ball. The hour features a memorable induction by renowned Texan author Lawrence Wright along with historic highlights from the influential Ely’s eleven appearances on the ACL stage.

Maren Morris performs on Austin City Limits, 2022. Photo by Scott Newton.

Season 48 continues in January with a diverse slate spotlighting multiple 2023 Grammy nominees in full-hour performances: One of modern rock’s premier bands, and first-time Grammy nominees, Austin’s own Spoon, return to the ACL stage for their fifth appearance, showcasing their celebrated tenth album, Lucifer On The Sofa, Grammy-nominated for Best Rock Album; multi-platinum, award-winning country star and Texas native Maren Morris makes a highly-anticipated ACL debut in a radiant, career-spanning hour with the hitmaker showcasing gems from her latest Humble Quest, which earned a trio of 2023 Grammy nominations, including Best Country Album; acclaimed rock act The War on Drugs return for their second appearance with selections from the Grammy-nominated I Don’t Live Here Anymore. Legendary alternative rock pioneers Pavement make their first-ever appearance on the series in a career-spanning hour marking their thirtieth anniversary. Rocking soul act Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats return for their second appearance with their latest The Future in an ecstatic live performance; sharing the hour is soulful Nashville singer-songwriter Adia Victoria, making her ACL debut with numbers from her acclaimed A Southern Gothic, a 2022 Americana Music Awards nominee for Album of the Year.

Adrian Quesada performs with Girl Ultra on Austin City Limits, 2022. Photo by Scott Newton.

A Season 48 highlight is the first solo appearance of multi-hyphenate Adrian Quesada, returning to the ACL stage to bring to life his acclaimed Spanish-language album, Boleros Psicodélicos, a love letter to the psychedelic Latin love songs “baladas” of the sixties and seventies; Quesada performs with a nine-piece band joined by an international line-up of guest vocalists from across the spectrum of contemporary Latin music, including  iLe, Natalia Clavier, Girl Ultra and Clemente Castillo, in a thrilling must-see hour. 

“After a historic kick-off to our new season this Fall, Austin City Limits rolls into the New Year with another round of firsts and favorites,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “For the first time ever, we’ll split our annual Hall of Fame celebration into two full episodes. We’ll showcase a unique Latin music genre that has never been presented on American television, plus some rock, indie and country music favorites – something for every musical palette.”

Season 48 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 7   Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Sheryl Crow

January 14   Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats/ Adia Victoria

January 21   Adrian Quesada Boleros Psicodélicos

January 28   The War On Drugs

February 4   Pavement

February 11   Maren Morris

February 18   Spoon

February 25   Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Joe Ely

ACL’s Season 48 premiered in October 2022 with a historic line-up spotlighting an unprecedented number of female artists, including a sterling season opener featuring celebrated singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, currently nominated for seven 2023 Grammy Awards; and many lauded acts topping 2022 Year-End Best Lists, including synth-pop duo Sylvan Esso, indie-folk singer-songwriter Tamara Lindeman (aka The Weather Station) and Americana singer-songwriter Allison Russell. The season featured ACL debuts from breakout artists including Japanese Breakfast and Arlo Parks along with indie-pop duo Lucius. ACL shone a spotlight on Lone Star country with breakout star Parker McCollum and the swan song of veteran Robert Earl Keen capped by ACL Hall of Famer Lyle Lovett making his first appearance in over a decade. Rounding out the first half of Season 48 was the electrifying ACL debut of Cuban funk sensations and newly-minted Grammy nominees Cimafunk and The Tribe.

Watch live on PBS, or stream anytime on PBS.org. The series will continue to air fan-favorite encore episodes through the end of 2022. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter and IG. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

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 48th 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 Austin PBS 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 and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, Workrise, the Austin Convention Center Department, Cirrus Logic and AXS Ticketing. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.

Austin City Limits Hall of Fame

In 2014, Austin PBS, KLRU-TV — creator and producer of the legendary PBS show Austin City Limits — established the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame to recognize legendary musicians and key individuals who have been instrumental in making television’s longest-running popular music show an institution. Each year a new class of honorees are inducted and celebrated at a live event taped to air on PBS. It is also a historical archive, educational resource and celebration of Austin City Limits —telling the story of the show through photos, a timeline/anthology mural and in the near future, an interactive database of vintage Austin City Limits performances and video footage of interviews, behind-the-scenes and never before seen performances throughout the decades. Honorees to-date include Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Lloyd Maines, Asleep at the Wheel, Loretta Lynn, Flaco Jiménez, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, B.B. King, Rosanne Cash, The Neville Brothers, Roy Orbison, Marcia Ball, Ray Charles, Los Lobos, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Buddy Guy, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Alejandro Escovedo, Joe Ely and Sheryl Crow.
Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame is produced by Austin PBS and funding is provided in part by AXS Ticketing, American Honda Motor Company, Netspend Corporation and YETI.

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Featured News

ACL artists collect 2023 Grammy Award nominations

Grammy season is upon us, as the nominations for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards were announced on Tuesday. We’re proud to see so many of our featured artists and distinguished alumni rack up nominations. Our Season 48 opener Brandi Carlile received seven nods, including Album of the Year for In These Silent Days, Record of the Year, Best Americana Performance and Best American Roots Song for “You and Me On the Rock,” on which she collaborated with fellow 48ers Lucius, and Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for “Broken Horses.” She showcased both nominated songs in her dazzling season premiere along with highlights from the celebrated album, which will encore on your local PBS station next year, check acltv.com for episode schedules.

Maren Morris on Austin City Limits, Oct. 2022. Photo by Scott Newton.

We’re thrilled to showcase many of the nominees, including Maren Morris, Spoon and The War on Drugs, in full-hour performances in the second half of our Season 48, which will begin airing early next year, and the complete broadcast line-up will be announced in early December. Country star Maren Morris, who recently taped her first-ever ACL appearance, received a trio of nominations, including Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for “Circles Around This Town” and Best Country Album for Humble Quest. Austin-bred indie rockers Spoon received their first-ever nomination, Best Rock Album, for their acclaimed LP Lucifer On the Sofa. The War On Drugs scored a Best Rock Song nod for “Harmonia’s Dream” from their I Don’t Live Here Anymore.

Cimafunk on Austin City Limits, May 3, 2022. Photo by Scott Newton.

Current Season 48 standouts garnering accolades include Cuban sensation Cimafunk, who recently debuted on ACL in a performance for the ages, and received his first nomination (but surely not his last) for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album for El Alimento, while genre-defying songstress Allison Russell got nods for Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for “Prodigal Daughter,” her collaboration with singer/songwriter Aoife O’Donovan. ACL Hall of Famer Lyle Lovett picked up a nomination for Best Americana Performance for “There You Go Again” alongside his pals and fellow AC Hall of Famers Asleep at the Wheel.

Sheryl Crow sings “I Shall Believe” with Brandi Carlile, Brittney Spencer and Lucius’ Jess Wolfe during the 8th annual ACL Hall of Fame induction, Oct. 27, 2022. Photo courtesy Austin City Limits.

Cheers to this year’s esteemed ACL Hall of Fame inductee Sheryl Crow, who returns to the Grammys with a nom for Best American Roots Song for “Forever,” a new song from her acclaimed 2022 documentary Sheryl. Stay tuned for our upcoming ACL Hall of Fame broadcast featuring the nine-time Grammy winner, which airs early next year and features one-of-a-kind collaborations including Sheryl and Brandi Carlile.

Kendrick Lamar performs on Austin City Limits, 2015. Photo by Scott Newton.

Season 48 artists aren’t the only ones who need to clear space on their mantle, however. Season 41 standout Kendrick Lamar collected a whopping eight nominations, including Record, Song and Album of the Year, plus the four Rap categories and Music Video of the Year. ACL four-timer Miranda Lambert garnered four nominations, including Best Country solo performance for “In Her Arms,” a song she first performed on last year’s Season 47 season premiere alongside co-writers Jon Randall and Jack Ingram. Our friend and ACL Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt also scored four nods, including Song of the Year for “Just Like That” the title track from her acclaimed 2022 album. We here at the house that Willie built, are beyond thrilled to see Willie Nelson earn four nominations, including three in the Country field, proving that, at 89 years young, his career keeps rolling on.

Dolly Parton performs her ACL debut in 2000. Photo by Scott Newton.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, of course. Our prestigious alumni who received multiple nominations include Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Rosalía, the Black Keys and Angelique Kidjo, while single nods were had by Buddy Guy, Norah Jones, Elvis Costello, the late Dr. John, Florence + the Machine, and far too many more to list here. We encourage you to check out the full list of nominations is here. Co-produced by ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, the 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will broadcast on Sunday, February 5, on CBS. Good luck to everyone nominated.