Category: Featured

Encore: Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples

Post author By michael
Post date May 8, 2015

This weekend, ACL brings you Mavis Staples and Bonnie Raitt, two legends and soul sisters with the perfect combination of soul, R&B, blues, and gospel. “We come this evening to bring you some joy, some happiness, inspiration and some positive vibrations,” declared Miss Staples back in June 2012 during the taping, and boy, did they deliver! This was a night full of smoky voices, sassy guitar playing, audience hooplah and ardent exhibition.

This episode marks Bonnie Raitt’s third appearance on Austin City Limits. The audience greets the nine-time Grammy Award-winner and bestselling artist with much love and admiration. She predominantly plays off of her 2012 album Slipstream, including “Down to You,” “Used to Rule the World” and a bluesy take on the Bob Dylan song “One Million Miles.” She finally exclaims, “Awww man! I love John Hiatt!” before ending with her Nick of Time hit “Thing Called Love.”

Mavis Staples is a clearly a legend. This lady has seen it all from singing songs on the forefront of the Civil Rights movement to being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joined onstage with three backup singers and a backing band, Mavis’ energy and famous low register voice charm the audience like we’ve never seen on classics like “Creep Along Moses” and “Freedom Highway.” At the end of the set, Mavis invites her lovingly coined “baby sister” Bonnie Raitt onstage for a couple of songs. On the emotional duet “Losing You,” dedicated to their fathers, Mavis and Bonnie share a moment where they hold hands and look at each other – it’s one of the incredibly touching moments of the evening. They end the night with a rendition of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” that had the entire audience clapping and dancing.

Don’t miss this inspiring and heartfelt episode – you won’t regret it. To find out when and where you can catch this episode check here for local listings. Also, don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or sign up for our newsletter, for more ACL news and info. Next week: Bon Iver.

Tags encore, Season 38, TV broadcast

Austin City Limits Announces Performers for 2015 ACL Hall of Fame

Post author By calle
Post date May 4, 2015

Austin City Limits announces guest performers for the 2015 ACL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Thursday, June 18th: country legend Vince Gill, acclaimed singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, multi-platinum country artist Patty Loveless, British singer-songwriter Laura Marling, Los Lobos frontman David Hidalgo, Grammy-winning conjunto band Los Texmaniacs and Texas singer-songwriter JT Van Zandt.

Hosted by multiple GRAMMY Award-winning country star Dwight Yoakam, who will also perform, the celebration honors the second class of inductees with one-of-a-kind music performances and tributes, as five trailblazing artists are inducted: Asleep at the Wheel, Loretta Lynn, Guy Clark, Flaco Jiménez and Townes Van Zandt. The event is open to the public this year and will take place at ACL’s studio home, Austin’s ACL Live at The Moody Theater. A limited number of tickets are available at acltv.com/hall-of-fame. Musical highlights and inductions from the ceremony will be broadcast in a special episode as part of ACL’s Season 41 which premieres in the fall on PBS.

More information about performances and additional guest stars will be announced prior to the event. Inductees Asleep at the Wheel and Flaco Jiménez will also perform at the ceremony and country icon Loretta Lynn will accept her honor in a special video for the occasion. Renowned steel guitarist and producer Lloyd Maines, inducted last year into the ACL Hall of Fame, returns as Music Director, leading an Austin all-star house band.

The newest class of inductees also recognizes—in the non-performer category—the original ACL crew, who will be honored at the event, and who played an important role in the launch and continuing success of the influential series and some of whom are still part of the crew today. The Austin City Limits Hall of Fame celebrates the legacy of legendary artists and key individuals who have been instrumental in the pioneering music series remarkable 40+ years as an American music institution. The inaugural induction ceremony took place April 26, 2014 and honored Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Bill Arhos, Darrell Royal and Lloyd Maines. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is an annual event, honoring a new class of inductees each year.

Austin City Limits and the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame are produced by KLRU-TV, Austin PBS. KLRU is a non-profit organization providing public television and educational resources to Central Texas as well as producing quality national programming. Net proceeds from this event benefit KLRU.

Tags Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame

Featured Live Stream News

Shakey Graves taping livestreams on May 6

Post author By michael
Post date April 30, 2015

Austin City Limits is pleased to announce that we will be streaming our taping with Shakey Graves live on Wednesday, May 6, 8pm CT/9pm ET. The taping will webcast in its entirety via our YouTube channel.

Austin-based singer/songwriter Shakey Graves will be playing songs from his acclaimed 2014 LP And the War Came. An actor who had a recurring role on Friday Night Lights and appeared in several Robert Rodriguez films, the erstwhile Alejandro Rose-Garcia started making music as part of New York City’s “anti-folk” scene. Since returning to Austin, Shakey Graves has become so closely associated with his hometown that for the last three years, Austin has celebrated “Shakey Graves Day” by mayoral proclamation. With And the War Came, he extends the ground emotionally and sonically broken by his 2011 self-released debut Roll the Bones, which still ranks near the top of Bandcamp’s digital best-seller charts. As noted by Exclaim, And the War Came “displays remarkable growth as a songwriter, guitar player and arranger without entirely leaving behind the one-man-band, lo-fi aesthetic that made his debut such a captivating listen.”

The broadcast version of this show will air this fall on PBS. Join us for this live webcast of the Austin City Limits debut of Shakey Graves.

Tags livestream, Season 41, Tapings

Featured Live Stream News

Cassandra Wilson taping to stream live on Apr. 28

Post author By michael
Post date April 23, 2015

Austin City Limits is pleased to announce that we will be streaming our taping with Cassandra Wilson live on Tuesday, April 28, 8pm CT/9pm ET. The taping will webcast in its entirety via our YouTube channel.

Grammy-winning American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Cassandra Wilson makes her ACL debut, armed with her acclaimed new LP Coming Forth by Day (Legacy Recordings), an homage dedicated to the beauty, power, and genius of Billie Holiday. The album boasts a surprising cast of characters: produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave’s producer), string arrangements by Van Dyke Parks, guitar from T Bone Burnett and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner, and rhythm section from The Bad Seeds (drummer Thomas Wydler and bassist Martyn P. Casey). Critic Gary Giddins describes Wilson as “a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack who has expanded the playing field” by incorporating blues, country and folk music into her work. A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Wilson moved to New York City in the early 80s, met saxophonist Steve Coleman and became one of the founding members of the M-Base Collective. She signed with Blue Note Records in 1992 and released the landmark album Blue Light ‘Til Dawn, which paved the way for a new generation of jazz singers seeking an approach and repertoire that challenged the supremacy of the American Standard songbook.

The broadcast version of this show will air this fall on PBS. Join us for this live webcast of the Austin City Limits debut of Cassandra Wilson.

Tags livestream, Season 41, Tapings

Services set for Bill Arhos

Post author By emily
Post date April 15, 2015

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS and the family of Bill Arhos announce visitation and service to celebrate his life.

There will be a visitation on Thursday, April 16 from 6 to 8 pm at Weed-Corley at 3125 N Lamar Boulevard.
On Saturday, April 18 at 3 pm there will be a Celebration of the Life of Bill Arhos at ACL Live at The Moody Theater, 310 Willie Nelson Boulevard. Both events are open to the public.

Arhos, a longtime KLRU station executive and father of Austin City Limits, died Saturday, April 11th, at the age of 80. His life’s work was devoted to KLRU, public media and music. He served in many positions during his nearly 40-year career at KLRU, joining in 1961 to help launch the public television station. Over the years, Arhos served as Producer, Program Director, Vice President of Programming, Executive Producer of Austin City Limits (1975-1999), and President/General Manager from 1986 until his retirement in 1999. He also served on the boards of PBS and the Country Music Association. Arhos was a proud graduate of Rice University, graduating in 1957. Rice honored Arhos in 2007 with the Association of Rice Alumni’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Arhos will be buried in a private ceremony at the Texas State Cemetery alongside other Texas legends.

The family requests donations to the Bill Arhos Fund at KLRU in lieu of flowers.

Featured

Bill Arhos, 1934-2015

Post author By emily
Post date April 13, 2015

LONGTIME KLRU STATION EXECUTIVE AND AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FOUNDER BILL ARHOS DIES

November 3, 1934 – April 11, 2015

KLRU-‐TV, Austin PBS and the family of Bill Arhos are sad to announce the passing of the longtime station executive, who most regard as the father of Austin City Limits. Arhos died Saturday, April 11th, at the age of 80. His life’s work was devoted to KLRU, public media and music. He served in many positions during his nearly 40-‐year career at KLRU, joining in 1961 to help launch the public television station. Over the years, Arhos served as Producer, Program Director, Vice President of Programming, Executive Producer of Austin City Limits (1975-‐1999), and President/General Manager from 1986 until his retirement in 1999. He also served on the boards of PBS and the Country Music Association. Arhos was a proud graduate of Rice University, graduating in 1957. Rice honored Arhos in 2007 with the Association of Rice Alumni’s Distinguished Alumni Award.Arhos will always be remembered best for his vision and passion that drove Austin City Limits to become the longest-‐running music series in American television history. In 1974, KLRU (then KLRN) hatched the idea to create a music performance show. The pilot was shot on October 14, 1974, starring up and coming singer-‐songwriter Willie Nelson and the rest is history.

“I’ve never met anyone like Bill Arhos,” says ACL Executive Producer and longtime colleague Terry Lickona. “He was a real character, known and loved not just in Austin but throughout the PBS system. The idea for Austin City Limits was not just his alone, but he brought it to life, and he kept the show going and growing through some difficult times. Whether they know it or not, millions of music fans, artists and PBS viewers owe a debt to him for his enormous contribution to what’s become a cultural institution.”

Called the “spirit” of the show, Arhos was inducted into the Austin City Limits Inaugural Hall of Fame last year, honored for his vision, passion and dedication. In accepting the award Arhos’ trademark wit was evident when he said: “It’s a little intimidating to be in a class of the first inductees, and three of the four have bronze statues around town.”

KLRU’s current general manager Bill Stotesbery says, “Bill Arhos was a legend in public media, respected for his creativity, energy, and persistence. From day one, he dedicated himself to building a station that was a national leader in production, and he set a standard that others seek to achieve. He will be missed greatly.”Arhos will be buried in a private ceremony at the Texas State Cemetery alongside other Texas legends. Details about his service and a celebration of his life will be forthcoming.

The family requests donations to the Bill Arhos Fund at KLRU in lieu of flowers.