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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel

It goes like this: Willie Nelson starred in the pilot for Austin City Limits in 1975 and has appeared many times since. Asleep at the Wheel kicked the first episode proper in 1976 and is also a multiple headliner. Amazingly, they’ve rarely collaborated, despite being buddies for 40 years. So when these great Texas artists came together to record 2009’s fantastic Western swing tribute Willie and the Wheel, we had to have this explosion of musical chemistry on the show – especially since it coincided with our 35th anniversary.

Featuring great old tunes like “Right Or Wrong, ‘“Hesitation Blues” and “Fan It,” as well as a handful of Willie classics, the resulting episode has since become one of our all-time favorites. It’s a special show to our beloved audience as well, and we’re happy to present this encore episode. Tune in to your local PBS station this weekend, and you might want to push the furniture against the wall in case you’ve the urge to dance.

Go here for more details on this episode, and check in with our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages for more ACL info and ephemera. Next week: M Ward and Okkervil River.

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Featured News

Watch the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame interview with Terry Lickona

When we announced the collaboration between Austin City Limits and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s Library & Archives last month, the cameras didn’t quit rolling once the press conference was concluded. Immediately afterward our own Terry Lickona was the subject of a Rock Hall Legend interview, conducted by Dr. Lauren Onkey and featuring Terry’s take on some of the significant tapings of the last 38 years. Check it out.

The history of Austin City Limits from Austin City Limits on Vimeo.

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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: Kenny Chesney

From honkytonks to sold-out arena shows, Kenny Chesney has been an ambassador for modern country music for nearly 20 years. The superstar visited Austin City Limits in Season 35 in celebration of Greatest Hits Vol. 2, which summed up his career to date. The hits just keep comin’ in this episode: “Living in Fast Forward,” “Summertime,” “Me and You,” “Beer in Mexico,” “Never Wanted Nothing More” and the then-brand new “Out Last Night.” Chesney shares the wealth as well, bringing on songwriter Mac McNally to duet on the smash “Down the Road.” With a 14-piece band that includes Ernest “Drummie Zeb” Williams from Bob Marley’s Wailers, Chesney’s widescreen country rocks the house to a fan-packed audience. Tune in this weekend to see the crowd/performer synergy for yourself.

Go here for more details on the Kenny Chesney episode, and remember, you can always hit up the blog and our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages for more on all things ACL. Next week: Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel.

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News Taping Recap

Kat Edmonson lights up the stage for her ACL debut

“You’ll have to forgive me, I’m finding myself a little bit speechless tonight,” commented Kat Edmonson. She may have been at a loss for words when it came to talking, but when it came to singing, she had no hesitation. Owner of both a soulful tone — somewhere between Billie Holiday and Blossom Dearie — and a sterling set of songs, Edmonson lit up the stage for her Austin City Limits debut.

The singer/songwriter has the amazing ability to produce fresh material that sounds, shall we say, experienced – the jaunty jazz tune “Long Way Home,” for example, or the lullaby-like waltz “I’m Not In Love,” which could have come from a 60-year old Disney film. “What else can I do,” she crooned over a samba rhythm, “I’m still in love with you” from “What Can I Do?” sounded like an old standard, but is, in fact, an Edmonson original.  Even the blues-tinged ballad “Hopelessly Blue,” written by Miles Zuniga of the Austin rock band Fastball, came across as a great tune rediscovered.

Edmonson sang several of her tried and true songs including the sly “Champagne,” the slinky cha-cha “This Was the One” and the string-driven “Lucky.”  Her lauded skills as an interpreter were also on display as she mesmerized the crowd with a pair of gorgeous, melancholy ballads drawn from different decades: the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds classic “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” and the 1940-vintage Ink Spots slow dancer “Whispering Grass.” She closed the set with the straightforward folk/pop of “I Don’t Know,” a Willie Bobo-associated song written by Sonny Henry, the author of Santana’s “Evil Ways.”

By the end of the show, Edmonson had led the audience back to the start, opening and closing the evening with the same song. She gave her tune “Nobody Knows That” a frothy jazz/pop reading at the beginning, then stripped it down to piano and voice for the encore. It was a perfect way to bookend a stellar evening that celebrated song and voice in equal measure. We can’t wait for you to see and hear the remarkable Kat Edmonson – this fall on PBS.

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News

Southwest Airlines presents the Tim McGraw Live From Austin Sweepstakes

Southwest Airlines, the official airline of Austin City Limits, has set up a drawing for our upcoming Tim McGraw taping on August 6. Winners receive not only a pair of passes to the show, but also roundtrip airfare and two nights at the W Hotel (conveniently located adjacent to ACL Live at the Moody Theater). Go here for more details and the entry form. Don’t wait too long – the contest ends on July 20. And fear not, we’ll also be doing a regular lottery for passes as we get closer to the show.

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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: Elvis Costello / The Band of Heathens

Austin City Limits continues its summer celebration of the art of song this weekend, with an encore episode featuring Elvis Costello and the Band of Heathens.

For his second appearance on ACL, master songsmith Elvis Costello featured the acoustic band he worked with on his album Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, including ACL vets Jim Lauderdale and Stuart Duncan. He highlighted album cuts, of course, including “Red Cotton,” “From Sulphur to Sugarcane” and “The Crooked Line,” a duet with ACL fave Patty Griffin. But he also dug deep into the Americana he was then exploring with a cover of Tampa Red’s “Don’t Lie to Me,” and treated us to “Five Small Words,” a then-new song that would appear on his next record National Ransom, interpolated with Texas legend Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.”

Austin-based singer/songwriters Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist used to share a residency at the Austin club Momo’s, but what started as a joint gig quickly became a full-on collaboration, as the three tunesmiths found both common ground and complementary skills. Now a three-headed monster, the Band of Heathens mixes rock, soul, blues, folk, country and gospel into a rich stew that’s found fans across the country. Drawing most of their set from the album One Foot in the Ether, the Heathens kick out the Americana jams on “L.A. Country Blues,” “Jackson Station” and “Golden Calf.”

Go here for more information about this fabulous episode, and check your local listings for showtimes. And remember, you can always hit up Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr for more ACL information. Next week: country superstar Kenny Chesney.