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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: Lyle Lovett and Bob Schneider

This weekend it’s a Texas singer/songwriter bonanza, as we encore the 2010 season-ending episode featuring Lyle Lovett and Bob Schneider.

Lyle Lovett is no stranger to ACL audiences – this episode is his eleventh appearance (counting his stint as Nanci Griffith’s backing singer in 1984, prior to his proper debut in 1987). An iconic Texas artist with strong country-western roots, the scope of Lyle’s musical appetites – harvesting elements from gospel, jazz, pop, and folk – has lent itself to a body of work that truly reflects the spirit of ACL. This performance, which hightlights the album Natural Forces, was the final taping in the show’s original home of Studio 6A on the UT campus – the next season saw ACL in the fabulous ACL Live at the Moody Theater. Come relive (or re-relive, if you’ve seen this show before) the memories with us.

Bob Schneider has also been on ACL before, back in 2000, and has been a mainstay of the Austin music scene since his late 80s days with the band Joe Rockhead. His muse has tripped down the aisles of nearly every genre you’d care to name, from funk metal to bluegrass, and he and a small army of musicians touch on everything in this performance. “My favorite songwriters never wrote songs that sounded the same or had the same general feel,” Schneider says, explaining the show’s eclectic nature. “How could I expect to keep myself, let alone anyone else, interested if each song didn’t do its own thing or follow its own path?” Tune in to see what he means.

photo by Scott Newton

You can find more information on this episode here. Check with your local PBS station for showtimes and tune in this weekend. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr for general ACL news. Next week we re-present the visit of another great singer/songwrter: Randy Newman.

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Featured News Taping Announcement

Summer taping announcements: Tim McGraw and Kat Edmonson

Summer keeps heating up for Austin City Limits, as we’ve got two more tapings to announce, both from singers burning up their individual genres: Kat Edmonson on July 10 and Tim McGraw on August 6.

With a vision that’s “equal parts Billie Holiday and Bjork” (All About Jazz), Kat Edmonson seemingly came out of nowhere in 2009 to take the jazz world by storm. The Texas native grew up in Houston with a mother who introduced her to the Great American Songbook. Determined to be a singer, she auditioned for American Idol during its second season, but left Hollywood for Austin. She became a regular at the Elephant Room, Austin’s premier jazz club, building a following and making musical connections that energized her career. Her 2009 debut album Take To the Sky hit the top 20 on Billboard’s jazz charts, adding enough juice that she found herself playing gigs with Boz Scaggs, Smokey Robinson and Willie Nelson. A high-profile duet with fan Lyle Lovett on the Christmas classic “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” put her on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and set the stage for Way Down Low, her second record and first to include her own original songs. Armed with a LP that’s been called “intuitive about melody and handy with a phrase” (The New York Times) and “one of the greatest vocal albums I’ve ever heard” (The Boston Globe), Kat Edmonson now comes to our stage on July 10, ready for what’s sure to be a memorable ACL debut.

photo by Alyson Fox

Also making his debut this season is country superstar Tim McGraw.  Obviously no rookie, the Louisiana native has sold over 40 million units, won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, 10 American Music Awards, three People’s Choice Awards and numerous other honors.  With 7.8 million spins at radio, he was deemed “Artist of the Decade” (2000-2010) by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.  McGraw’s 11th studio album Emotional Traffic debuted at No. one on the Billboard Country Chart, making it his 13th career #1 debut. With 32 #1 singles to his credit and his current single “Better Than I used To be” tracking on the same course, McGraw’s hits include “Felt Good On My Lips,” “Southern Voice,” “Live Like You Were Dying, “Real Good Man” and many, many more. NPR notes, “With a voice that can go from earthy to angelic in a single phrase and a back catalog that shows serious growth over two decades, McGraw is a star with substance.” Come find out for yourself on August 6.

Go here for more information on ACL tapings, and check in on our Facebook and Twitter pages for the ticket announcements for these shows.

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Encore Broadcast Featured News

Encore: Rosanne Cash & Brandi Carlile

There’s nothing like the combination of a great song and a great voice. This weekend on Austin City Limits we’ve got a pair of singer/songwriters who’ve mastered that blend: Rosanne Cash and Brandi Carlile.

The daughter of American icon Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash is no stranger to the ACL stage – this is her seventh appearance on the show. For this episode, Cash showcases her album The List, which contains her interpretations of classic folk and country tunes drawn from a list of essential songs compiled by her father before his passing. She essays powerful takes on standards like “Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow,” “500 Miles” and “Sea of Heartbreak,” as well as some of her own tunes, including “The World Unseen” and “Dreams Are Not My Home.” Longtime fans will gain new insight into Cash’s creative process, while new arrivals on her musical planet will discover a new favorite.

photo by Scott Newton

Speaking of new favorites, we’re proud to re-present the ACL debut of Brandi Carlile. The Washington-born singer and tunesmith has been making music since she was in her teens, and by the time she released Give Up the Ghost, the album she highlights in this episode, she’d made fans of Elton John, Sheryl Crow and other well-known acts. Joined by her trusty sidekicks the Hanseroth twins, Carlile shows off her literate folk rock with “Pride and Joy” and “The Story,” proves her (and her band’s) vocal chops with the a cappella “Oh Dear” and rocks the house down with a sizzling cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” This episode shows neophytes what diehards already know – Brandi Carlile is a contender.

Check your local listings and tune in! You can find more info on this episode here. More ACL info in general can be had on our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages. Next week: our singer/songwriter fest continues with Lyle Lovett and Bob Schneider.
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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: Steve Miller Band and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

We love to present new music and show off current artists hitting their prime. But we’re happy to honor the veterans and the lifers – the folks whose work has stood the test of time. In that light, we welcome Steve Miller Band and Preservation Hall Jazz Band to the ACL stage this weekend.

Steve Miller Band need no introduction – lauded rock guitarist Steve Miller and his various partners-in-crime have been knocking around since the late 60s, leaving a string of indelible hits in their wake. Remember “Abracadabra?” “Fly Like An Eagle?” “Space Cowboy?” Of course you do, and you’ll hear them all on Saturday in front of an enthusiastic crowd in what was the very first taping of ACL at the Moody Theater.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been around even longer than Miller – the group’s genesis coincides with the founding of the Hall itself back in 1961, and the style of New Orleans jazz the band plays goes back even further than that. History lives on in PHJB’s performances. But don’t think that means that the group is preserved in amber. Joining the band onstage are Yim Yames from My Morning Jacket, James Petralli from White Denim and the ever-elegant Del McCoury Band to add their inimitable contemporary mojo. Once you hear “St. James Infirmary” sung by a high-voiced indie rock frontdude, you’ll realize it’s what you’ve always wanted.

photo by Scott Newton

Tune in this Saturday for your classic rock ‘n’ jazz fix – as always, check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time in your area. Toggle over to the episode page for more info, and don’t forget to click over to our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages for more ACL goodies. Next week: Rosanne Cash and Brandi Carlile.

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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: The National & Band of Horses

This Saturday’s encore episode of Austin City Limits features two of indie rock’s best and brightest: the National and Band of Horses.

The National’s brooding bombast is at a peak when they hit the ACL stage in support of their acclaimed record High Violet. Few bands come equipped with songs like “Bloodbuzz Ohio” and “Terrible Love” that can bring you down and to your feet at the same time. But the National prove its mastery of that mystical balancing act in this powerful performance.

By contrast Band of Horses revels in its folk-rocking nice guyitude. The outfit’s mix of easygoing melodies and classic rock hooks is in full effect on “Ode to LRC,” “Marry Song” and “The Funeral.” With this show there’s no wonder as to why this particular group of equines are festival and radio favorites.

photo by Scott Newton

Tune in this Saturday to see and hear for yourself. Go here for info, and don’t forget to keep on keepin’ up with ACL TV on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Next week: the Steve Miller Band and Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

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Featured News Taping Announcement

June taping announcements: Bonnie Raitt, Dr. Dog and Mavis Staples

June may be vacation time for most folks, but here at Austin City Limits we’re happy to come to work. Why? Because we have not one, not two but three great artists visiting us: Dr. Dog on June 25 and Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples on June 27.

Hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Dog has had the virtue of developing far away from the music industry. Grown organically through practice and experimentation, the band’s quirky, catchy pop draws equally from the psychedelic 60s and the indie rock 00s. Dr. Dog earned its national break in 2004 after going on the road with ACL veterans My Morning Jacket. The band has since become a well-traveled touring outfit, releasing half a dozen albums and appearing on the late night TV shows of David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien and Craig Ferguson. Armed with its acclaimed seventh LP Be the Void, Dr. Dog records their first episode of Austin City Limits on June 25.

Bonnie Raitt needs no introduction to ACL fans, having appeared on the show twice before, in Seasons 9 and 28.  The veteran musician’s remarkable talents are back in the public eye this year with Slipstream, the first release on her own Redwing Records label and her first since 2005’s Souls Alike. NPR praised Slipstream as “vital and fresh… beautiful,” Rolling Stone gave it a 4-star review, and Entertainment Weekly wrote “Superb… she slips her purring voice into every song like a letter going into an envelope addressed just to you.” The album debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200, marking the nine time Grammy-winner’s highest charting album and best sales week in nearly two decades. We welcome Bonnie Raitt back to the ACL stage on June 27.

But Ms. Raitt is not coming alone. Joining her will be gospel/R&B legend Mavis Staples. The Chicago native began her career in 1950 with the Staple Singers, who became one of the most successful family gospel bands in America with pop hits “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There.” The Staple Singers represented the musical voice of the Civil Rights movement due in part to their friendship with Martin Luther King and also to their willingness to record material as topical as it was inspirational. Mavis first tested the solo waters in the late 60s, recording sporadically for the next 40 years. Currently signed to hip label Anti-, Mavis is still riding high on the success of 2010’s You’re Not Alone, produced by pal Jeff Tweedy from Wilco. Now she’s bringing her venerated pipes, whose “otherworldly power comes…from a masterful command of phrasing and deep-seated sensuality” (All Music), to the Moody Theater for her Austin City Limits debut.

Stay with us on Facebook, Twitter and this very blog for more news about upcoming tapings, and check out our Tumblr page for blasts from the past.