Austin City Limits is excited to announce we will live stream the upcoming taping of Austin’s own powerhouse singer and songwriter Ruthie Foster on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. CT. ACL offers fans a unique opportunity to watch Foster’s ACL taping live in its entirety from the safety of their homes and screens at this location. ACL has taped before a live audience for its entire 45-year history, but recently resumed tapings with the first-ever no audience tapings in the history of the program; Foster’s performance will also be taped without an audience.
In the tight-knit musical community of Austin, Texas, it’s tough to get away with posturing. You either bring it, or you don’t. If you do, word gets around. And one day, you find yourself duetting with Bonnie Raitt, or standing onstage with the Allman Brothers at New York’s Beacon Theater and trading verses with Susan Tedeschi. You might even wind up getting nominated for a Best Blues Album Grammy — three times in a row. And those nominations would be in addition to your seven Blues Music Awards, three Austin Music Awards, the Grand Prix du Disque award from the Académie Charles-Cros in France, a Living Blues Critics’ Award for Female Blues Artist of the Year, and the title of an “inspiring American Artist” as a 2018 United States Artists Fellow.
There’s only one Austinite with that résumé: Ruthie Foster. Drawing influence from legendary acts like Mavis Staples and Aretha Franklin, Foster developed a unique sound unable to be contained within a single genre. That uniqueness echoes a common theme in Ruthie’s life and career – marching to the beat of her own drum. Ruthie’s latest album Live at the Paramount, swings back to the days (and nights) when Lady Ella sang Ellington and Sinatra blasted off with Count Basie and Quincy Jones. Ruthie refers to her live shows as “hallelujah time,” and we are thrilled to welcome her back to the ACL stage for her first headlining appearance since her 2003 debut.
Join us here on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. CT for this performance by Ruthie Foster. The broadcast episode will air early next year as part of our upcoming Season 46, on PBS.
Austin City Limits is proud to announce a pair of highly-anticipated tapings showcasing acclaimed artists who blur the lines between soul, gospel, folk and blues. On November 1, an Austin treasure returns to our stage, as Ruthie Foster tapes her second appearance; on November 5, we welcome one of Nashville’s hottest acts, The War And Treaty, in their ACL debut. Austin City Limits is delighted to announce we will live stream both these tapings along with the previously announced long-awaited taping of Texas songwriting legend Ray Wylie Hubbard on October 21. With live music still on pause, ACL continues to provide viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance. ACL offers fans a unique opportunity to watch the trio of tapings live in their entirety from the safety of their homes and screens at this location on each date at 7pm CT/8pm ET. ACL has taped before a live audience for its entire 45-year history, and recently resumed tapings without a live audience. The broadcast version of these tapings will air later this season as part of our Season 46 on PBS.
In the tight-knit musical community of Austin, Texas, it’s tough to get away with posturing. You either bring it, or you don’t. If you do, word gets around. And one day, you find yourself duetting with Bonnie Raitt, or standing onstage with the Allman Brothers at New York’s Beacon Theater and trading verses with Susan Tedeschi. You might even wind up getting nominated for a Best Blues Album Grammy — three times in a row. And those nominations would be in addition to your seven Blues Music Awards, three Austin Music Awards, the Grand Prix du Disque award from the Académie Charles-Cros in France, a Living Blues Critics’ Award for Female Blues Artist of the Year, and the title of an “inspiring American Artist” as a 2018 United States Artists Fellow.
There’s only one Austinite with that résumé: Ruthie Foster. Drawing influence from legendary acts like Mavis Staples and Aretha Franklin, Foster developed a unique sound unable to be contained within a single genre. That uniqueness echoes a common theme in Ruthie’s life and career – marching to the beat of her own drum. Ruthie’s latest album Live at the Paramount, swings back to the days (and nights) when Lady Ella sang Ellington and Sinatra blasted off with Count Basie and Quincy Jones. Ruthie refers to her live shows as “hallelujah time,” and we are thrilled to welcome her back to the ACL stage for her first headlining appearance since her 2003 debut.
photo by David McClister
Since forming in 2014, dynamic duo The War And Treaty have won critical acclaim and amassed a following as eclectic as their sound itself, a bluesy but joyful fusion of Southern soul, gospel, country, and rock-and-roll. Known for a live show nearly revival-like in intensity, the husband-and-wife team of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Blount-Trotter endlessly create an exhilarating exchange of energy with their audience, a dynamic they’ve brought to the stage in opening for the legendary Al Green, touring with the likes of Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell and taking the stage at the 2020 Grammy Awards earlier this year, performing alongside icons like Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Gary Clark Jr., and Common.
So when it came time to choose a title for their recently released sophomore album, The War And Treaty quickly landed on Hearts Town—the couple’s affectionate nickname for their ardently devoted fanbase. “Hearts Town is a neighborhood strictly made up of people who all share the same kind of heart: hearts that love, hearts that heal, hearts that don’t see division,” says Michael. “There’s all different types of people within that neighborhood, but they’re still somehow all working together—which is exactly the kind of town we want to live in.” Their full-length debut for Rounder Records, Hearts Town arrives as the follow-up to 2018’s Healing Tide, a widely acclaimed effort that saw The War And Treaty named 2019’s Emerging Act of the Year by the Americana Music Association.
While the new album unfailingly harnesses the thrilling vitality of their live set, each song spotlights The War And Treaty’s heart-on-sleeve storytelling and poetic simplicity with greater impact than ever before. The War And Treaty drive home their impassioned plea for unity in times of division. “We were seeing so much anger in the world as we were making this album, so we wanted to give people something that told them, ‘Stop looking for the next Dr. King or Malcolm or Mother Teresa, and start looking for the first you,’” says Michael. “Right now a lot of people are feeling so deeply engulfed in pain and surrounded by negativity, and sometimes you just need to hear that you’re good,” says Tanya. “That’s the whole idea behind Hearts Town: no one’s trying to change what you think or how you talk or anything else about you. You’re just fine the way you are.” We’re proud to welcome The War and Treaty to the ACL stage.
Austin City Limits is excited to announce we will live stream the highly-anticipated debut taping of Austin’s own: singer, songwriter and guitarist Jackie Venson on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. CT. ACL offers fans a unique opportunity to watch Venson’s taping live in its entirety from the safety of their homes and screens at this location. ACL has taped before a live audience for its entire 45-year history, but recently resumed tapings with the first-ever no audience tapings in the history of the program; Venson’s performance will also be taped without an audience.
Breakout sensation Jackie Venson, named Artist of the Year in 2018 by the Austin American-Statesman, is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter known for her complex, soulful rhythm-and-blues-and pop music and blazing guitar skills. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Venson has traveled the world playing to massive crowds, both as a headliner and as handpicked support for major acts including Gary Clark Jr, Aloe Blacc and Citizen Cope.
Given the uncertainty of the times we’re living in, one thing holds true for Jackie Venson: she’s going to play her music, speak her truth and spread as much joy as she can doing it. With the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cancellation of her entire tour schedule and the wave of social change sweeping across the country, Venson committed herself to release more music than ever before, connecting with her fans directly and speaking up about the change she wanted to see in her city and country. In spring 2020, Venson released a new EP titled jackie the robot vol 1, composed entirely of remixes that reimagine her critically acclaimed catalog, showcasing her growth as both a musician and producer. This fall, Venson releases a new studio album, Vintage Machine, her first studio follow up to 2019’s standout Joy. Venson makes her ACL debut performing selections from Vintage Machine alongside career highlights.
Join us here on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. CT for the debut performance by Jackie Venson. The broadcast episode will air November 14 as part of our upcoming Season 46, premiering October 3 on PBS.
Austin City Limits is thrilled to announce we will be live streaming our taping with GRAMMY, CMA & ACM award-winning eclectic roots rock band The Mavericks on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. CT at this location.
The Mavericks make their third appearance on the ACL stage showcasing a career milestone, their first Spanish-language album, En Español, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums Chart. The genre-bending Country, Americana and Tejano-infused Rock & Roll band, who celebrated their 30th Anniversary in 2019, comes full circle to their early Miami roots to mesh their uplifting eclecticism with a collection of their own Spanish language originals, and classic Latin tracks from which they drew inspiration. The 12-song collection represents a diversity of musical styles and cultural traditions, from tender boleros to brassy mariachi to reimagined Afro-Cuban classics and their unique take on classic tracks from the vast Latin American songbook, while five are originals written or co-written by the group’s co-founder Raul Malo. “This is the record I’ve been wanting the Mavericks to make for a very long time,” says Malo, the nine-piece outfit’s famously expressive lead singer. “I’m a first generation Cuban-American, and some of these songs are songs my family would play and sing on weekends at family parties and get-togethers. But it’s not all nostalgia either. There are plenty of new original songs that put this record squarely in the moment for us.” The foundation of En Español is solidly Latin with streaks of irreverent rock and twangy guitars running through it, all branded with the unmistakable Mavericks style. “This album, to me, celebrates all those cultures that are so beautiful and so vibrant,” says Malo. “I’m proud of this record for that. I think it’s a very inclusive record. Because this story is not just my story, it’s the story of a lot of Latinos.”
The chart-topping En Español was released in August to critical raves: “A show-stopping Spanish-language album” (Rolling Stone); “The Mavericks demonstrate the truth in their band’s name here more than ever, though the members have succeeded in making new music seem familiar and right at home in America, a melting pot of a country. (Pop Matters); “The Mavericks have already proven that they can effortlessly bound across genres …[Now], the band shows that they are just as potent in another language (American Songwriter); “This record is a real milestone” (NPR).
Join us here on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. CT for this one-of-a-kind performance by The Mavericks. The broadcast episode will air as part of our new Season 46, premiering October 3 on PBS.
Austin City Limits is thrilled to announce that we are live streaming the first taping of our new Season 46—also the first taping of 2020—featuring multiple Grammy-nominee, British country-soul singer Yola, as she makes her ACL debut on February 4 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on the ACL YouTube channel.
Produced by ACL three-timer Dan Auerbach, Yola’s debut Walk Through Fire is a career-defining and genre-bending release from one of the most exciting emerging acts in music today. Yola’s arresting vocals captivate with sincere tales of heartache and loves lost, forgotten, and broken. Released on Nashville’s Easy Eye Sound, the album earned widespread critical acclaim from national press including The New York Times, Vogue, Rolling Stone and NPR, with The Los Angeles Times raving, “British, black and bold, Yola is shaking up American roots music”. Yola counts none other than Sir Elton John as a major fan, with the music icon hailing the singer-songwriter “as one of his favourite rising stars.”
Known for show-stopping live performances, Yola’s 2019 highlights include standout appearances at ACL Fest, Glastonbury, Newport Folk Festival, SXSW and Farm Aid. She has shared the stage this past year with Dolly Parton, Mavis Staples, Kacey Musgraves, The Killers, Sheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile, and is currently opening for Chris Stapleton on multiple U.S. tour dates. We’re thrilled to welcome Yola to the ACL stage.
Join us here on February 4 at 8 p.m. CT for Yola’s soulful set. The broadcast episode will air as part of our new Season 46, premiering in October on PBS.
Austin City Limits is thrilled to announce that we will be live streaming the return of The Raconteurs to our stage. The taping streams live on Thursday, October 3 at 8p.m. CT on our ACLTV YouTube Channel.
The Nashville-based Raconteurs—featuring Jack White and Brendan Benson as dual frontmen/guitarists/lead singers/songwriters, and ace rhythm section of Jack Lawrence on bass and Patrick Keeler on drums—return with their acclaimed third studio LP and first new album in more than a decade, HELP US STRANGER (Third Man Records). The chart-topping album debuted at #1 on the SoundScan/Billboard 200 — the band’s first-ever #1 and their third trip to the top 10. Featuring a cadre of killer songs, HELP US STRANGER sees the mighty Raconteurs reassembled, stronger and even more vital than ever before as they continue to push rock ‘n’ roll forward into its future, bonding prodigious riffs, blues power, sinewy psychedelia, Detroit funk, and Nashville soul via Benson and White’s uncompromising songcraft and the band’s steadfast musical muscle. With HELP US STRANGER, The Raconteurs have returned right when they are needed most, unified and invigorated with boundless ambition, infinite energy and a collectivist spirit operating at the peak of its considerable powers, once again creating a sound and fury only possible when all four of its members come together. The band burst onto the scene in 2006 with their now-classic debut album, BROKEN BOY SOLDIERS, winning worldwide acclaim, Grammy® nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance and a chart-topping smash single in “Steady, As She Goes,” followed by 2008’s Grammy®-winning CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY. HELP US STRANGER is earning numerous shout-outs from national press: “The Raconteurs have made an album of what are, relatively, straight-up bangers…With tune after tune, this third Raconteurs outing is a blast” (The Guardian); “HELP US STRANGER is Jack White and Brendan Benson’s love letter to classic rock” (Q); “the group’s richest batch of songs to date” (Spin). Recorded at Third Man Studios in Nashville, TN, the record is proof positive a combo with chemistry like The Raconteurs has no rust to shake off. They are as scrappy, current, steadfast, and captivating as they were when they first joined forces, and their joy of creating together is satisfyingly palpable. Earning raves for their first live shows in eight years, the band return to our stage in the middle of an epic world tour, and we’re thrilled to welcome them back.
Join us here on October 3 for a rockin’ set from The Raconteurs. The broadcast episode will air early next year as part of our new Season 45, premiering October 5 on PBS.
