Austin City Limits is proud to welcome hip-hop/R&B icon Ms. Lauryn Hill to the stage Nov. 7 for her debut taping, in a rare television appearance.
Acclaimed artist Ms. Lauryn Hill achieved astounding success as a member of hip-hop trio The Fugees, whose 1996 breakthrough The Score featured the multi-platinum hits “Ready or Not” and “Killing Me Softly,” won a pair of Grammys and remains one of the best-selling hip-hop records of all time. She launched her solo career in 1998 with the release of the landmark album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and became the first woman or hip-hop artist to earn a record-breaking five Grammy Awards. The album has sold nearly 20 million records, is regarded as one of the most important releases of the last 25 years, and was entered into the Library of Congress this year as a timeless and classic recording that is the embodiment of who we are as a people and a nation.
Most recently, Ms. Hill executive produced and recorded six songs for the 2015 release Nina Revisited: A Tribute to Nina Simone, including a stunning take on Simone’s signature track “Feeling Good.” We’re thrilled to welcome Ms. Hill to the Austin City Limits stage.
In addition to performing at ACLTV Ms. Lauryn Hill will also headline the Fun Fun Fun Fest Orange Stage on Sunday, November 8th. Passes for the festival are available for purchase at funfunfunfest.com.
Want to be part of our audience? The ticket giveaway information is up now – please go to our website to enter.
Austin City Limits showcases two of today’s most original and exciting live acts: Grammy-winning songwriter, vocalist and virtuoso guitarist Gary Clark Jr. in a triumphant return to the ACL stage, and singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett making her ACL debut. Two talked-about artists worthy of the buzz, both rising stars are gaining recognition around the globe for their dynamic live shows.
Austin’s Gary Clark Jr. arrives on ACL’s stage at the top of his game for his second headline performance, this time showcasing songs from the acclaimed new top-10 album The Story of Sonny Boy Slim. The young Texan has had a whirlwind ascent from the Austin club scene to earning slots on festival stages, on the road with superstars Foo Fighters and his own sold-out headlining tour. The LA Times recently hailed him “the most exciting blues-based experimentalist since Jack White.” Clark writes another chapter to his story with this appearance, firmly establishing himself as a sonic force of nature in a confident, blazing five-song set filled with searing, soulful new songs. The guitar phenom opens with a new album highlight “Grinder” and demonstrates his astonishing musical chops with scorching renditions of the deeply personal originals. Closing the thrilling set with the uplifting, gospel-infused anthem “The Healing,” Clark sings with newfound passion, owning the ACL stage and receiving a heartfelt standing ovation.
Australian singer/songwriter and guitarist Courtney Barnett released one of the most arresting music debuts in years, 2015’s Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, and is receiving critical acclaim in spades: Rolling Stone hails Barnett “one of rock’s most beguiling young stars and deftest lyricists,” calling the album “2015’s sharpest debut.” Paste says she’s “one of the most charming, whipsmart performers currently touring the world,” and NPR raves “the new album will thrill any fan of smart, biting guitar driven rock,” calling her “the best lyricist in rock music today.” Spin calls it “one of the most thrilling albums you’ll hear this year,” and hails the garage rocker a “goddamn rock star.” Riding the wave of media acclaim, Barnett proves she has the talent to match in her standout ACL debut. The six-song set is a great introduction to her signature style: mixing straightforward, four-chord crunch with witty, often hilarious, occasionally heartbreaking observations with unflinching self-assessment. Aided by her tight band featuring bassist Bones Sloane and drummer Dave Mudie, she brings the ACL set to a crashing close with the crowd-favorite single “Pedestrian at Best,” proving she’s nothing of the sort, but one of the most distinctive and compelling new voices in modern rock.
photo by Scott Newton
“Gary Clark Jr. and Courtney Barnett are the rock stars of tomorrow, if not today, and they’re doing it the old-fashioned way – with their guitars,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “They are both blazing different trails, but they are totally original, and that’s why this makes for such a great double bill!”
Tune in this weekend for this episode, and, as always, check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time in your area. Go to the episode page for more info, and don’t forget to click over to our Facebook, Twitter and newsletter pages for more ACL info. Tune in next week for the ACL debuts of TV on the Radio and The War On Drugs.
Capitol recording artist Don Henley makes his first-ever appearance on Austin City Limits showcasing Cass County, Henley’s first solo release in fifteen years and first No. 1 album of his 33-year solo career. The iconic singer-songwriter and founding member of the Eagles performs a mix of solo hits and future classics in a special hour, joined by many of the all-star guest vocalists featured on this acclaimed record.
Named for the East Texas region where Henley grew up, the country-leaning Cass County debuted at No. 1 on both Billboard’s top albums and country albums charts and features new originals written by the music superstar and longtime collaborators Stan Lynch and Steuart Smith. Rolling Stone raves in a four-star review, “Henley has made an album of quietly defiant pure-country modernism…Everything in the music serves the sting and solace in the tales.” USA Today notes, “the emotional but unsentimental album draws on the music and the land of Henley’s youth, but it doesn’t dwell there.”
Henley opens the masterful eleven-song ACL set with the radio classic “Dirty Laundry,” before taking viewers on a journey through Cass County, a musical return to his roots. He shines in an immaculate performance filled with highlights and duet partners featuring a parade of special guests: breakout country star Ashley Monroe, chart-toppers Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood, country rebel Jamey Johnson and sisters Emily Robison Strayer and Martie Maguire of Dixie Chicks and Court Yard Hounds fame. Henley makes a few detours to perform select fan-favorites including “The Heart Of The Matter” before the entire cast returns to the ACL stage for the powerfully evocative new ballad, “Praying for Rain”. Familiar opening chords signal his smash “The Boys of Summer” as Henley and his band launch into the signature tune for a sublime set-closer.
“Don Henley has been on my wish list for 40 years, and I always knew he would come when he was ready,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “He’s one of the best songwriters of his generation, and these new songs are some of the best he’s ever written. He’s at the top of his game right now, and it’s an honor to have him showcase his new songs and classics on the ACL stage. Tune in this weekend for this episode, and, as always, check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time in your area. Go to the episode page for more info, and don’t forget to click over to our Facebook, Twitter and newsletter pages for more ACL info. Tune in next week for the return of Gary Clark Jr. and the ACL debut of Courtney Barnett.
Season 41 of Austin City Limits kicks into high gear with breakout country artist Sturgill Simpson sharing the bill with legendary Western swing institution Asleep at the Wheel. Two acts steeped in old-school tradition but beamed through a contemporary prism, the must-see episode features rising star Simpson making his full set ACL debut while Texas swing veterans Asleep at the Wheel return for their 11th appearance. Asleep at the Wheel, newly-minted ACL Hall of Fame members, are joined by guest stars The Avett Brothers, Amos Lee and the Quebe Sisters in a special tribute to musical forebear Bob Wills, the King of Western Swing.
Forty years after Willie Nelson made his iconic debut on ACL on October 14, 1974, country rebel Sturgill Simpson arrives at the top of his game in a standout ACL debut. With his acclaimed breakthrough Metamodern Sounds In Country Music topping Best of 2014 Album lists and a stack of accolades to call his own—including a Grammy nomination, top honors at this year’s Americana Awards, slots at the year’s biggest music festivals, including Bonnaroo, Coachella and ACL Fest—ACL captures Simpson on the verge of full-blown stardom. Playing an acoustic guitar, the Kentucky native and his ace four-piece band launch into a scorching seven-song set that makes a believer out of everyone. He pays tribute to the outlaw country scene that inspired him, acknowledging his debt to Willie, and to Austin cosmic cowboy Steve Fromholz, with an impassioned rendition of “I’d Have to Be Crazy,” a Fromholz song Nelson made famous in the ‘70s, and a perfect showcase for Simpson’s rich baritone. The full span of Simpson’s influences is evident with the inspired set-closer, a brilliant crossbreed of the Osborne Brothers’ bluegrass classic “Listening to the Rain” to glam-rock band T-Rex’s “The Motivator.”
A national as well as Texan treasure, the nine-time Grammy Award-winning Austin supergroup Asleep at the Wheel has kept the Western swing flame burning for forty-five years. Still led by larger-than-life founder Ray Benson, AATW appeared in the first official episode of Austin City Limits in 1976, and returns for a remarkable eleventh appearance to perform selections from their recent Bob Wills tribute album Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, a salute to the great bandleader. Wills’ music, born in the 1920s and ‘30s, continues to inspire younger generations, and AATW is joined on the ACL stage by some very special guests, including soul singer Amos Lee, fiddle trio the Quebe Sisters and Americana sensations The Avett Brothers, who put their own spin on Western swing classics. A highlight of the set comes when two former Texas Playboys—singer Leon Rausch, 88, and 92-year old saxophonist Billy Briggs—take the stage. The entire ensemble returns for a crowd sing-along of the signature “Texas Playboys Theme,” winding “Happy Trails” into the old chestnut for a perfect close.
photo by Scott Newton
“This show goes back deep to the roots of where Austin City Limits began,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Sturgill would’ve fit perfectly into the Austin music scene of the ‘70s, and it speaks volumes that his own progressive country sound resonates so strongly and stands in contrast to much of the country pop today. Asleep at the Wheel appeared on the very first episode of our very first season, and they’re still kicking it 41 years later – just like ACL!”
Tune in this weekend for this episode, and, as always, check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time in your area. Go to the episode page for more info, and don’t forget to click over to our Facebook, Twitter and newsletter pages for more ACL info. Tune in next week for the ACL debut of Don Henley.
Austin City Limits is thrilled to announce the final tapings of our 41st season, including the debut of Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats on November 22 and the return of Heartless Bastards to our stage on November 23.
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, the self-titled LP by the Denver, CO based band, practically explodes with deep, ecstatic soulfulness. “The born-again spirit of vintage soul music poured out of the man, measurable mostly in gallons,” raves NPR of the group’s powerful front man. So it’s entirely fitting that the release arrived on Stax Records, because at certain moments Rateliff seems to be channeling soul greats like Otis Redding and Sam & Dave. Delve beneath the rawboned surface of the new album’s deep-gut grooves, snaky guitars, churning Hammond and irresistible horns, and you’ll find a sensitive, introspective artist who tells it like it is. Yet even as Rateliff honors the gritty, rapturous sound of the legendary Memphis label, he’s also setting out into audacious new territory. “Nathaniel Rateliff is a passionate performer with a gift for singing and winning over an audience,” noted Consequence of Sound, “and that comes through on this record.” “I’m trying to do something that’s emotionally charged and heartfelt,” Rateliff says, “and I want the experience to be joyous. I can remember dancing around to some song that was breakin’ my heart, dancin’ with tears in my eyes. I love that feeling, and I wanna share it with people, and hopefully they’ll feel it too.” Join us on Nov. 22 and experience one of 2015’s finest new arrivals.
photo by Courtney Chavenel
Heartless Bastards have spent the past decade in motion, boldly pushing their unique brand of rock ‘n’ roll into new shapes over four acclaimed albums and nearly non-stop roadwork. Now, with Restless Ones, the band sets out once again, blazing a path to a place of shifting moods, seasoned songcraft, and unbridled spontaneity. The Austin-based band’s fifth studio recording finds singer/songwriter Erika Wennerstrom exploring as-yet-unvisited avenues of sound and sensation, her bravery and ambition readily apparent in the emotional timbre and the sheer physicality of her songs. “We took a lot of chances,” Wennerstrom says, “taking the sounds in different directions in order to grow. I don’t ever want to make the same album twice.” Tracked in August 2014 during a 10-day session at El Paso’s renowned Sonic Ranch, Restless Ones “is a statement of collective confidence and ambitious vision,” says Magnet. “These songs capture an outstanding band hitting its stride,” says AllMusic, “and growing more comfortable with the craft of record-making along with singing and playing great, passionate music.” Rich with purpose, passion, and commanding musicianship, Restless Ones captures an idiosyncratic band exploring their craft and soul in an effort to reach a place that’s both true and transcendent. Heartless Bastards continue to drive their monumental music ever forward, towards hidden vistas and horizons still unseen. Follow their journey with us on Nov. 23 – and don’t miss their show at the Mohawk in Austin on Nov. 21!
Want to be part of our audience? We will post information on how to get free passes about a week before the taping. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for notice of postings.
Austin City Limits is pleased to announce that we will be streaming our taping with Angélique Kidjo live on Saturday, Oct. 17, 8pm CT/9pm ET. The taping will webcast in its entirety via our YouTube channel.
Dubbed “Africa’s premier diva” by Time and “the undisputed queen of African music” by the London Telegraph, Angélique Kidjo is an international superstar. The Benin native’s accolades span a 20-year discography and thousands of concerts around the world. She has won Grammys for her 2008 album Djin Djin and her 2014 album EVE, and enjoyed a long history of notable collaborations with greats like Carlos Santana, Bono, John Legend, Josh Groban, Peter Gabriel and more. On her new album Sings, recorded with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg, Kidjo re-imagines nine classic songs from her expansive repertoire and two new songs, blending European classical traditions with the powerful rhythmic sounds of her native West Africa. “I love the challenge of doing new things,” explains Kidjo. “I never want to get too comfortable with what I’m doing, and I love my work too much to repeat myself.” Having already appeared on PBS in the concert documentary Lightning in a Bottle: One Night in the History of the Blues, we’re proud to welcome Angélique Kidjo to the ACL stage.
The broadcast version of this show will air as part of our Season 41 on PBS. Join us for this live webcast of the Austin City Limits debut of Angélique Kidjo.
