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Featured News

Season premiere: Rodrigo y Gabriela featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra

Photo by Scott Newton.

Austin City Limits launches a new slate of must-see performances from music’s finest with a singular highlight as its season premiere: famed guitar virtuoso duo Rodrigo y Gabriela take viewers on a sonic adventure with their super-charged instrumentals, accompanied by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The Mexico City natives are joined by over 30 musicians from the world-class ensemble to bring to life their latest album In Between Thoughts…A New World. This groundbreaking performance marks the very first time the live music series has partnered with the esteemed orchestra, one of Austin’s leading arts institutions. The hourlong episode premieres October 7 at 7pm CT/8pm ET. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast.

The program, produced by Austin PBS and recorded live at ACL’s studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas, continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for 49 years as the music institution nears a remarkable half-century milestone. Austin City Limits celebrates 50 years as a live music beacon in 2024: on October 17, 1974, Willie Nelson taped the pilot episode and the trailblazing series premiered in 1975. Stay tuned for news on special concerts, fan events and activations as Austin City Limits salutes an incredible legacy of 50 golden years of American musical history and iconic performances. 

For over two decades, the duo of Gabriela Quintero and Rodrigo Sánchez have captivated audiences across the globe with their fast, rhythmic and wildly inventive guitar playing. In their first appearance on the ACL stage in a decade, they return with a one-of-a-kind collaboration featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Rodrigo y Gabriela open the spellbinding hour with a furious clash of acoustic and electric guitar amid a maelstrom of distortion and flashing lights. Their latest album In Between Thoughts…A New World is a highpoint of their career and it serves as the centerpiece of this ACL performance. The work is designed to bring about an “expansion of consciousness” as the guitarists lead viewers on an exhilarating thrill ride showcasing their hypnotic, muscular blend of song which owes as much to rock and heavy metal as to the music of their native Mexico. 

Renowned previously for their signature acoustic interplay, this latest outing introduces electric guitar, as Rodrigo’s blistering, intricate fretboard moves create an alchemy with Gabriela’s dazzling flamenco-based acoustic rhythms. Accompanied by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Peter Bay, the innovative duo explore new sonic horizons, expanding their sound from classical to metal in a stunning, high-energy hour. The orchestra soars with lush strings and powerful percussion on the magical “The Eye That Catches The Dream” and the guitar maestros receive a standing ovation as the powerful set-closer “Descending to Nowhere” reaches its epic climax.

“We’re always looking for new ways to make history, so after 49 years this is our first collaboration with a symphony, and we found one of the best in our own backyard,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “The Austin Symphony under Peter Bay’s baton provides a rich, lush accompaniment to the jarring, furious guitar riffs of Rodrigo y Gabriela. It’s pure magic.”

Episode setlist:

Astrium In Corpore

True Nature

The Eye That Catches the Dream

Egoland

Monster

Seeking Unreality

The Ride of the Mind

Broken Rage

Finding Myself Leads Me to You

In Between Thoughts…A New World

Descending to Nowhere

Season 49 Broadcast Line-up (second half of season to be announced separately)

Oct. 7 Rodrigo y Gabriela featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra

Oct. 14 Jenny Lewis / MUNA

Oct. 21 Lil Yachty / Sudan Archives

Oct. 28 Margo Price / Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Nov. 4 Jorge Drexler

Nov. 11 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Nov. 18 Foo Fighters

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. The complete line-up for the full 14-week season, including seven new episodes to air beginning January 2023, will be announced at a later date.  Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter, IG and TikTok. 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 49th 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, 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 News Taping Recap

Taping recap: Noah Kahan

Noah Kahan performs on Austin City Limits, Sept. 26, 2023. Photo by Scott Newton.

“Man, I’ve been watching these since I was a kid,” said Noah Kahan after the first song in his debut Austin City Limits taping. “I never thought I’d get a chance to be here.” Now that he was, the Vermont native made the most of it. Clad in a beige jumpsuit (“I don’t have the muscle definition for a tanktop, so what am I supposed to do?”) and backed by his five-piece band, Kahan played nearly every number from his breakthrough album Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever). Clearly a devotee of both the quiet and the loud, Kahan shifted easily from the banjo-driven folk of “All My Love” and “Orange Juice” to the overt rock anthemry of “She Calls Me Back” and “Northern Attitude.” “Your Needs, My Needs” shifted from one to the other (and back). Though known for baring his soul in his songs, he was quick to lighten the mood with a playful quip or two – sometimes even during the song (“Put your hands up, Austin! Never mind, I don’t like it!”). 

At other times Kahan took the opportunity to get real and go deeper with his fans. Left alone onstage, Kahan introduced his song “Growing Sideways” addressing his mental health struggles throughout his life, noting he entered therapy at eight years old and hit a moment of clarity years into adulthood. “I was 22 when I started telling the truth,” he admitted, “and I was much happier.” Honesty put the audience in the palm of his hand, prompting them to sing a key lyric – clearly Kahan’s not the only one who hears an artist speaking plainly about personal trials and feeling seen. Still wearing his heart on his sleeve, he even choked up during “The View Between Villages,” an ode to his hometown, during the encore. 

That vulnerability and personal connection drove Kahan’s performance as much as his talent. “I’m coming down to say hi to this man and his family,” Kahan exclaimed, leaving the stage to shake hands with the entire front row as his band performed the build-up to “Northern Attitude,” during which the crowd sang an entire verse by themselves. He extended the same creative freedom to “Everywhere, Everything,” “Orange Juice,” and “False Confidence,” a fan favorite and the only tune from an album outside Stick Season. Fans and singer came together on “Dial Drunk,” the frisky country rocker that became his first hit and “Stick Season,” the song that “changed my life” and garnered the biggest crowd singalong yet. The show ended with the rocking “Homesick” and the audience jamming out, showcasing Kahan’s deft blend of cathartic blast and ardent earnestness to its fullest effect. 

Noah Kahan – vocals, guitar, mandolin

Noah Levine – guitar, banjo, vocals

Dylan Jones – keyboards, banjo, mandolin, vocals

Alex Bachari – bass, vocals

Marcos Valles – drums, vocals

Noah Kahan and his band tape Austin City Limits, September 25, 2023.

Setlist:

All My Love – Stick Season

She Calls Me Back – Stick Season

New Perspective – Stick Season

Everywhere, Everything – Stick Season

Your Needs, My Needs – Stick Season

Growing Sideways – Stick Season

Paul Revere – Stick Season

Northern Attitude – Stick Season

False Confidence – Busyhead

Call Your Mom – Stick Season

You’re Gonna Go Far – Stick Season

Orange Juice – Stick Season

Dial Drunk – Stick Season

Encore:

The View Between Villages – Stick Season

Stick Season – Stick Season

Homesick – Stick Season

Categories
Featured News Taping Recap

Taping recap: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo on Austin City Limits, 2023. Photo by Scott Newton.

When Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo took the Austin City Limits stage for their very first taping, they did so in front of a crowd that was, to put it plainly, stoked. So it was appropriate that the freshly-minted Rock & Roll Hall of Famers and their rhythm section of bassist Mick Mahan and drummer Tony Pia kicked off the evening with “All Fired Up,” the mid-eighties hit that celebrates the power of their epic style. Of course, that efficacy was evident throughout the evening, as singer Benatar and guitarist Giraldo consistently raised the flag for evergreen rock. 

by Scott Newton for Austin City Limits and Austin PBS

The ever-smiling married couple took us on a high-energy, career-spanning journey of their impressive, near-five-decade, Grammy-laden catalog, from the powerhouse “Sex As a Weapon” and the empowerment paean “Girl” to the soaring rocker “We Live For Love” and the fiery Rascals cover “You Better Run.” “We love this song as much as you do, as it’s a song that brings people together,” Benatar noted as she sat on a red stool beside the grand piano. Giraldo tickled the ivories for “We Belong,” one of the married duo’s biggest hits, and one that Benatar sang with the kind of passion that meant she believed it every time she sang “We belong together!” The rousing “Invincible” got the blood pumping, while the steely “Hell is For Children” roared with righteous anger – nobody does rock anthems like Benatar and Giraldo. Need more proof? The set-ending “Love is a Battlefield” grooved and blasted across the firmament like the classic it is, earning huge applause. The duo returned for a ripping encore of “Heartbreaker,” from Benatar’s 1979 debut, which she called “the song that started it all,” within which they interpolated Johnny Cash’s immortal “Ring of Fire,” let the crowd sing a chorus, and ended on, of all things, an electrified Irish jig and a standing ovation. It’s always good to see veteran performers like Benatar and Giraldo who clearly still enjoy what they do for a living, and that onstage joy transferred to the eager audience and the camera for what will be an amazing episode when it airs as part of our upcoming Season 49. 

Pat Benatar – lead vocals

Neil Giraldo – guitars, piano, vocals

Mick Mahan – bass

Tony Pia – drums

Setlist:

All Fired Up – Wide Awake in Dreamland

Sex As a Weapon – Seven the Hard Way

We Live For Love – In the Heat of the Night

Promises in the Dark – Precious Time

Girl – Go

We Belong – Tropico

Everybody Lay Down – Gravity’s Rainbow

Invincible- Seven the Hard Way

Shadows of the Night – Get Nervous

Hell is For Children – Crimes of Passion

You Better Run – Crimes of Passion

Love is a Battlefield – Live From Earth

Encore:

Heartbreaker/Ring of Fire – In the Heat of the Night, Johnny Cash cover

Categories
Featured News

ACL congratulates the AMA winners

Americana Music Association Lifetime, Trailblazer, and Legacy Award winners, 2023. Top row, L-R: George Fontaine, Sr., Bettye LaVette, Patty Griffin. Bottom row, L-R: the Avett Brothers, Nickel Creek.

Austin City Limits congratulates the winners of last night’s Americana Music Awards, presented, of course, by the Americana Music Association. It was a very special ceremony for some very special artists, including many of our friends from our show. We’ll broadcast highlights from the ceremony on Nov. 25 as part of ACL Presents: Americana 22nd Annual Awards. 

Billy Strings, who lit up Season 47 with his clever songs and sizzling guitar, won Artist of the Year for the second year in a row. Singer/songwriter and former Emerging Artist of the Year Tyler Childers won Album of the Year for his top 10 triple album Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? Childers appeared on ACL in Season 44 as a special guest of John Prine, and will return to the stage to pay tribute to his mentor at this year’s ACL Hall of Fame Awards. Song of the Year honors went to longtime ACL veteran Bonnie Raitt’s self-penned tune “Just Like That,” from her LP of the same title. The singer, songwriter, and slide guitarist will perform songs from that album at her fourth ACL taping on Oct. 15. 

The Duo/Group of the Year nod went to Nashville soul powerhouses The War and Treaty, who were one of the few performers to tape during our pandemic-afflicted Season 46. Violinist Chauntee Ross and cellist Monique Ross, AKA SistaStrings, took home the Instrumentalist of the Year honors, as well they should have – we can testify to their talents after seeing them perform with both Brandi Carlile’s and Allison Russell’s tapings last year. The Emerging Artist of the Year for 2023 was singer/songwriter S.G. Goodman. 

The AMA also presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to singer, songwriter, and ACL frequent flyer Patty Griffin. Fellow ACL pals and folk rockers the Avett Brothers and progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek both received Trailblazer Awards. Season 48 standout Allison Russell received the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech in Music Award, while the great Bettye LaVette, who visited ACL in Season 34, accepted the Legacy of Americana Award. The evening also included tributes to Seasons 2 and 9 guest Jimmy Buffet, Season 4 performer Tom Waits’ debut album Closing Time, and Season 42 premiere artist Paul Simon’s There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. George Fontaine, Sr., owner and co-founder of New West Records, who have released many ACL episodes on CD and DVD as the Live From Austin TX series, received this year’s Jack Emerson Award.  

Congratulations to all the winners! You can catch performances by AMA honorees in this year’s ACL Presents: Americana 22nd Annual Awards on Nov. 25 on your local public television station.

Categories
Featured News Taping Recap

Taping recap: Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit perform on Austin City Limits, Sept. 18, 2023. Photo by Scott Newton.

“We’re just overjoyed to be back on Austin City Limits!” said Jason Isbell as he led his band the 400 Unit to their third appearance on the ACL stage. With the acclaimed documentary Running With Our Eyes Closed on Max and his even more loudly hailed new album Weathervanes in the cultural conversation, Isbell is hitting a career high, which makes it the perfect time to host him once again. The new record is filled with expertly crafted, passionately performed songs featuring characters facing hard times, and that’s what the songwriter and the group presented tonight. With every lyric thoughtfully considered and every tune an ear worm, the setlist abounded with future anthems, from the anxiety-ridden “Save the World” (in which the protagonist contemplates raising a child in a world of common school shootings) and the acoustic “Cast Iron Skillet” to the tension-filled “Death Wish” and the rackety opener “When We Were Close,” an ode to a fallen musical comrade. Isbell reached into his bag of deep cuts with the loping anthem “Overseas,” from the 2021 album Reunions, but kept the set Weathervanes-centric – a choice that suited the polished but powerful rock & roll machine the Unit has become. Thanks to the bandleader’s chemistry with guitarist Sadler Vaden, bassist Anna Butterss, keyboardist Denny deBorja, and drummers Chad Gamble and Will Johnson (who last appeared on ACL with Monsters of Folk), “King of Oklahoma” roared, “Miles” blazed, and the Southern rock-frosted “This Ain’t It” burned the way only two dueling guitars can do it. The main set climaxed with a dip into the songwriter’s breakthrough Southeastern via “Flying Over Water,” to mighty applause, before returning for a two-song salvo of certified Isbell classics: the fan-favorite “24 Frames” and the soulful “Cover Me Up.” The audience loved every single second. “This is a good time – I sure do love doing this show!” the artist declared. Right back atcha, Jason, right back atcha.

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit tape Austin City Limits, Sept. 18, 2023. Photos by Scott Newton.

Jason Isbell – vocals, guitars

Sadler Vaden – guitars, vocals

Denny deBorja – keyboards, accordion, vocals

Anna Butterss – bass, vocals

Chad Gamble – drums, vocals

Will Johnson – guitar, drums, vocals

Setlist:

When We Were Close – Weathervanes

Save the World – Weathervanes

King of Oklahoma – Weathervanes

Strawberry Woman – Weathervanes

Middle of the Morning – Weathervanes

Overseas – Reunions

Cast Iron Skillet – Weathervanes

Death Wish – Weathervanes

This Ain’t It – Weathervanes

White Beretta – Weathervanes

Miles – Weathervanes

Flying Over Water – Southeastern

Encore:

24 Frames – Something More Than Free

Cover Me Up – Southeastern

Categories
Featured Hall of Fame News

ACL announces Hall of Fame 2023 guest performers

Austin City Limits (ACL) announces an all-star slate of guest performers and presenters for the 2023 ACL Hall of Fame Inductions & Celebration on October 26, 2023, recognizing two beacons of American music: celebrated country superstar Trisha Yearwood and late, beloved singer-songwriter John Prine. All-star guests will handle induction honors on this epic night: Don Henley will induct Trisha Yearwood; renowned actor Ethan Hawke will induct John Prine posthumously. A parade of music luminaries including Henley, Jo Dee Messina, Ronnie Dunn, Tyler Childers, Allison Russell, Kurt Vile and Tommy Prine will take part in saluting the honorees with one-of-a-kind music performances and intimate tributes. 

The inductees will be honored at a star-studded ceremony at ACL’s studio home, ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits 9th Annual Hall of Fame is produced by Austin PBS. Additional special guests will be announced prior to the event. Musical highlights and inductions from the celebration will air as a pair of companion Austin City Limits Hall of Fame Honors installments dedicated to each inductee, set to air in January 2024 on PBS.

Don Henley. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images.

Co-founder of the Eagles Don Henley, will induct his longtime friend Trisha Yearwood and perform in tribute. Yearwood and Henley performed together during his ACL debut in 2015 in Season 41. Country greats Jo Dee Messina and Ronnie Dunn will also pay homage with salutes; additionally, Yearwood is slated to perform at the celebration. Renowned actor and Austin native Ethan Hawke will induct John Prine, who passed away in 2020. A stellar slate of artists will take the stage to pay tribute in song to their friend, mentor and inspiration: acclaimed singer-songwriter Tyler Childers, who performed with Prine during his final ACL taping in 2018 for Season 44; Americana great Allison Russell; and singer, songwriter and guitar ace Kurt Vile. John’s son, singer-songwriter Tommy Prine, will perform in honor of his father.

Ethan Hawke. Photo by Francois Berthier.

ACL Hall of Famer, renowned steel guitarist and producer Lloyd Maines, returns as Music Director, leading the ACL All-Stars house band featuring guitarist David Grissom, keyboardist Chris Gage, bassist Bill Whitbeck and drummer Tom Van Schaik. 

Jo Dee Messina. Photo by John Zocco.

The event is open to the public and a limited number of tickets are on sale at acltv.com/hall-of-fame.  Sponsor packages are available at acltv.com/hall-of-fame. All proceeds benefit Austin PBS. 

Allison Russell. Photo by Dana Trippe.

Austin City Limits celebrates 50 years as a live music beacon with a yearlong milestone celebration beginning in October 2024: on October 17, 1974, Willie Nelson taped the pilot episode and the trailblazing series premiered in 1975. Stay tuned for news on special concerts, fan events and activations as Austin City Limits salutes an incredible legacy of 50 golden years of American musical history and iconic performances. 

Ronnie Dunn. Photo by Jim Arndt.

Since its inception in 2014, the annual ACL Hall of Fame celebration honors the legendary artists who helped to build the legacy of the trailblazing music series as it nears a remarkable half-century milestone as a music institution. The inaugural awards honored Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The ninth class of inductees features two legendary acts: Multiple GRAMMY®, CMA® and ACM® Award-winner Trisha Yearwood debuted on the series in Season 17 in 1992. She went on to make two additional headlining appearances in 1996 and 2000 and returned in Season 41 in 2015 as a guest of Don Henley. The late singer-songwriter John Prine appeared regularly on ACL throughout his celebrated five-decade career. Prine made his first Austin City Limits appearance in 1978, in the third season of the nascent show, and returned for his eighth and final appearance forty years later in Season 44 in 2018. The influential artist appeared on a Songwriters Special in 1983 alongside peers including Guy Clark and Rodney Crowell, and made headlining appearances in 1988, 1992 and 1996; and in 2002 appeared as a special guest of Bonnie Raitt. Austin City Limits saluted Prine with a posthumous retrospective hour in 2020, which aired as the season premiere of Season 46 and highlighted classic gems from his catalog.

Kurt Vile. Photo by Adam Wallacavage.

Established in 2014, the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame celebrates the legacy of legendary artists and key individuals who have played a vital part in the pioneering music series remarkable nearly half-century as a music institution. The Hall of Fame has inducted over twenty artists at eight previous ceremonies including Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Lloyd Maines, Asleep at the Wheel, Loretta Lynn, Guy Clark, Flaco Jiménez, Townes Van Zandt, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, Rosanne Cash, The Neville Brothers, Ray Charles, Marcia Ball, Los Lobos, Lyle Lovett, Buddy Guy, Shawn Colvin, Lucinda Williams, Wilco and Alejandro Escovedo. The eighth annual Hall of Fame in 2022 welcomed Sheryl Crow and Joe Ely to its ranks. 

Austin City Limits 9th Annual Hall of Fame is produced by Austin PBS and funding is provided in part by AXS Ticketing.

Tyler Childers. Photo by Sam Waxman.

Austin City Limits Hall of FameIn 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.

Tommy Prine. Photo by Emma Delevante.