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Encore: Steve Miller Band and 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 present Steve Miller Band and Preservation Hall Jazz Band on 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 Jim James 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 front dude, 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 newsletter pages for more ACL goodies. Next week: Miranda Lambert and Jeff Bridges.

 

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Encore Broadcast Featured News

Encore: The Decemberists and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

Most music aficionados categorize themselves as lyrics vs. music types. Both are essential to creating one-of-kind songs, but people seem to always identify most with one or the other. Fortunately for both types, this weekend Austin City Limits is bringing you an encore episode that features two artists that are known for their eloquent lyrics as well as their beautifully crafted harmonies: The Decemberists and Gillian Welch.

Portland natives The Decemberists have graced Austin City Limits twice and each time is as memorable and heartfelt as the other with their crowd participation and musically eclectic performance. In this episode we hear mostly from the group’s 2011 album, The King is Dead with special accompaniments from Gillian Welch on “Down By The Water,” and Welch and David Rawlings on the final song, “All Arise!” There’s also the appearance of “The Rake’s Song,” from 2009’s Hazards of Love,  that serves as a crowd favorite and frontman Colin Meloy’s personal favorite recording.

Going with the “less is more” approach in their music, Gillian Welch and longtime partner David Rawlings have been creating their known sparse yet haunting music for two decades. Welch is also no stranger to the Austin City Limits stage – her appearance with us in Season 37 marked her third recording. Welch and Rawling perform predominantly from their 2011 album The Harrow & The Harvest, and also perform a classic rendition of “I’ll Fly Away.”

photo by Scott Newton

Whether you’re all about connecting with music on a lyrical level or a purely musicianship standpoint, you won’t be disappointed this weekend with this encore episode.

Be sure to check your local listings for showtimes to see this episode and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or our newsletter to keep up with updates on tapings and airings. Next week: Steve Miller Band and Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

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Encore Broadcast Featured News

Encore: Raphael Saadiq and Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears

WARNING: This Saturday’s encore episode may induce the following behavior: dancing/booty shaking, laughter, uncontrollable smiling, clapping, soulful singing, and bass throwing (if you have one nearby).

What are we talking about? This week’s episode featuring multi-instrumentalist and R&B veteran Raphael Saadiq and Austin’s own Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, of course.

Referring to journalists as “lazy” when they try to fit his musical style under genre specific labels (such as neo-soul), it’s clear from this performance and his albums that Raphael Saadiq draws inspiration from a wide array of artists. Featuring special guest Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Saadiq covers hits from his 2011 album Stone Rollin’. Watch when Saadiq performs the title track, a song he initially wrote when he was 11 about a “full-figured, bluesy woman,” as his background vocalists show as much energy as Saadiq himself.

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears have been such an Austin favorite and “must-see” over the years that it wasn’t a shock when the group starting gaining national attention. In this performance you see the group at its finest, performing a mix of songs from its 2009 debut Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! and their 2011 release Scandalous. This performance is brimming with energy, soul and flying instruments, and hits its peak at the end, when the group is joined by Dallas gospel group the Relatives for the fervid hit and crowd favorite “You Been Lyin’.”

photo by Scott Newton

Check your local listings for showtimes to see this episode and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or hook up with our newsletter to keep up with updates on tapings and airings! Oh, and please watch out for the bass. Austin City Limits does not condone anyone throwing instruments in the living room, but if you do, let us know because that would be an awesome story worth sharing.

Next week: the Decemberists and Gillian Welch.

 

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Encore Broadcast Featured News

Encore: Spoon

Austin City Limits is always proud to welcome hometown heroes to our stage, as we do this Saturday with an encore performance by Spoon. It’s difficult to put that label on the band – though Britt Daniel and company have been mainstays of the Austin indie rock scene since the mid-90s, Spoon’s subsequent success on a national scale means the band belongs to everyone now, not just Central Texans.

This show from Season 36 is Spoon’s third appearance on ACL, and likely won’t be their last. The indie rockers invited some friends onstage for their first full hour, including the Honeybears’ horn section and longtime local axe-slingers Charlie Sexton and Craig Ross. The band was supporting its acclaimed LP Transference, gracing the crowd with new Spoon standards like “Trouble Come Running,” “Written in Reverse” and “Got Nuffin,” but also dipped into its vast catalog for fan faves “You Got Your Cherry Bomb,” “Nobody Gets Me But You” and “Don’t Make Me a Target.”

Check out the episode page for more info, and be sure to visit the Facebook, Twitter and e-newsletter sign-up pages to bring more ACL into your life. Next week: R&B magnificence with Raphael Saadiq and Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears.

 

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Encore Broadcast Featured New Broadcast

Jesse & Joy ACL taping to stream live Monday 6/17

For all of our fans who can’t join us for the Jesse & Joy taping on Monday, June 17 at 8 pm CST we’re happy to tell you that we will be livestreaming the show on our ACL TV YouTube channel.  Subscribe to our channel and join us for an evening with Mexico City’s favorite pop rock siblings. We’re excited to present this show to the duo’s fans around the world. See you then!

 

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Encore Broadcast Featured News

Encore: Jimmy Cliff

When it comes to reggae, Jimmy Cliff, whose ACL episode encores this weekend, is indisputably one of the greats. He first found fame as a teenager, with a string of hit singles in his native Jamaica. By the late 60s, reggae was spreading beyond the borders of his birthplace and Cliff became one of its first international stars with “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and “Vietnam,” which Bob Dylan called “the best protest song I’ve ever heard.” In 1972 Cliff starred in the acclaimed film The Harder They Come, writing and singing the hit title song. Other Cliff compositions like “Many Rivers to Cross” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want” have also become often-covered, much-loved reggae standards. Cliff continues to record and tour all over the world, collaborating with Sting, the Clash’s Joe Strummer, Kool & the Gang, Wyclef Jean and the Rolling Stones along the way. As popular now as he ever was, Jimmy Cliff is the face of reggae, as you’ll see for yourself this Saturday – check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time and channel.

Check out the episode page for more details, and drop in on our Facebook and Twitter pages for more ACL info, or sign up for our newsletter. Next week: Spoon.