Category: News

Categories
Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News

Jackie Venson and Mavis Staples bring the soul to ACL this weekend

photo by Scott Newton

Austin City Limits is proud to spotlight a rising star, Austin singer-songwriter/guitar ace Jackie Venson, in her national television debut as a headliner. The hour also features a vintage performance by soul/gospel legend Mavis Staples from her 2012 showcase, joined by special guest Bonnie Raitt. The installment premieres November 14 at 8pm CT/9pm ET on PBS as part of the iconic series’ Season 46. With live music still on pause, ACL continues to provide viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance. The series airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available online for a limited time at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast.  

With the cancellation of 2020’s SXSW earlier this year at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunity for the audiences to witness many of music’s best and brightest was lost. One of the featured artists poised to perform on multiple stages at this year’s edition was Austin standout Jackie Venson. The breakout blues, rock, R&B & soul singer/guitar virtuoso has earned acclaim in her hometown and beyond for her singular skills.  Venson was introduced to national audiences as a handpicked opener for guitar star Gary Clark Jr. in 2019, and has established a rapidly growing fan base as one to watch, recently landing in the Top 10 of Pollstar’s Top 50 Livestreamers, alongside established acts including Luke Combs and Norah Jones. Venson was also the subject of the fourth episode of Pause/Play, a new podcast from Austin public radio station KUTX about musicians during the pandemic. The podcast, which focuses on her ACL taping and also includes executive producer Terry Lickona, can be heard here, and a video preview can be watched here. 

An innovative artist who brings passion, emotion and truth to her music, Venson performs highlights from her acclaimed 2020 album Vintage Machine and 2019’s Joy in her ACL debut. Wearing a black leather dress inscribed with 73 names of Black Americans who have died at the hands of police, Venson has become an important voice in raising awareness about racial inequality. She meets the moment with a powerful address: “Black lives matter. Not the hashtag, not the slogan, not the organization, but actual lives. Me, my family, my band. We matter.” She then launches into “Back to Earth,” showcasing her guitar bona fides with blazing fretwork and stunning solos. Venson welcomes “Austin’s Empress of Soul,” vocalist Tameca Jones, to the stage for a scorching slowburn rendition of the blues classic “Texas Flood” putting her own signature sound on her Stratocaster on the Lone Star anthem. With a smile as wide as Texas, Venson closes out the radiant debut with the buoyant rocker “Transcends.” 

“Every so often a new ‘sensation’ arises from the fervid Austin music scene, and the moment right now belongs to Jackie Venson,” said Lickona. “There are many words to describe her music, but the one that rings loudest for me is ‘TRUTH.’”

photo by Scott Newton

The inspiring hour also features a timely encore performance from living legend Mavis Staples who delivers a clutch of powerful protest songs, including “Freedom Highway,” The Staple Singers’ 1965 classic, about the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till. Staples has been a part of history for more than half a century, at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement to presidential inaugurations. The 2012 appearance marked the iconic singer’s debut on the series, and she captivates with her famous low register vocals and magnetic energy, delivering soulful renditions of contemporary songs, as well as socially conscious anthems from her family band The Staples Singers-era. She is joined by longtime friend and collaborator Bonnie Raitt for a pair of classics, the emotional duet “Losing You” and the gospel standard “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” for a soaring close. 

Jackie Venson setlist:

Make Me Feel

Back to Earth 

Texas Flood (with Tameca Jones)

Transcends

Mavis Staples setlist:

Creep Along Moses

Wrote A Song For Everyone

You Are Not Alone

Freedom Highway

Losing You (with Bonnie Raitt)

Will the Circle Be Unbroken (with Bonnie Raitt)

Season 46 Broadcast Line-up (six new episodes to be announced):

October 3 The Best of John Prine 

October 10 Yola

October 17 Stevie Ray Vaughan 30 Years On

October 24 Rufus Wainwright

October 31                ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel

November 7             John Legend & The Roots: Wake Up!

November 14 Jackie Venson | Mavis Staples w/Bonnie Raitt

November 21            The Mavericks

Tune-in, log on, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. The complete line-up for the full 13-week season 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.

About 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 46th 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 KLRU 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, KLRU-TV and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, RigUp, the Austin Convention Center Department and Cirrus Logic. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com. 

Categories
Featured News Taping Recap

The War and Treaty bring messages of love and hope to ACL

photo by Scott Newton

We here at Austin City Limits were so blown away by the performance of The War And Treaty on ACL Presents: Americana 18th Annual Honors last year that we knew we had to feature them for a full set on the show. Basing the set around their acclaimed new LP Hearts Town, the Michigan-bred husband-and-wife duo of Michael and Tanya Trotter did not disappoint, hitting real heights with their earthy, rock-infused soul. 

Backed by an eight piece band and set up on stage so they could look at each other at any time, the Trotters kicked off the show with the jazzy groove of “Yearning,” as much a seduction as a plea. The tempo revved up for the rocking “Jealousy,” as the pair acknowledged the titular emotion, before kicking it out the door. The Trotters deftly altered the mood with “Liquid Lies,” which started as a sultry simmer before going into a full-tilt boil. “We’re here to sing to you, America,” stated Michael. “We’re here to sing not just to Austin, but we’re here as representation of what thriving and overcomers look like. So let’s give ourselves a hand.” Then they went into the dramatic “Beautiful,” a tune from Hearts Town recorded with Americana star and ACL two-timer Jason Isbell, subbed for here by W&T back-up singer Will Merrill during the song’s round robin vocals. The band then got funky with “Maryland,” a frisky tribute to the state from which Tanya hails with a round of solos from guitarist Matt Laurence, keyboardist Brett Sandler, trumpeter Joe Jordan and saxophonist Chuck Mullican. 

The party definitely needed a cool down after that performance, so the band reached back to its debut EP Down to the River for the ballad “Til the Morning.” Of course, “cool down” is a relative term for this group, as the fire definitely burned in the couple’s impassioned singing. Bassist Max Brown then picked up an acoustic guitar for the folky “Jubilee,” dedicated to Anne Wade, a high school-age singer/songwriter the Trotters are mentoring. The group shifted to old school R&B for “Hey Pretty Moon,” a gorgeous tune inspired by Ray Charles. After that powerhouse, it was time to raise the roof once again, which they did with the jazzy, New Orleans-flavored “Little Boy Blue,” as much a showcase for Mullican and Jordan as the singers. Michael then led the band into the clever pop of “Hustlin’,” “which is what we’re doing now.” TW&T then launched into the title track of their new album, the truly heartwarming “Hearts Town.” 

The band dipped into a Stax/Volt groove for “Five More Minutes,” a song inspired by the PTSD U.S. Army veteran Michael brought back from his two tours in Iraq that’s scoring radio play here in Austin, and no wonder: it’s a perfect blend of melody and groove. Michael then asked the audience, both in person and at home, for a moment of silence for everyone lost in 2020, due to the pandemic or otherwise. In particular, TW&T wanted to pay tribute to the late John Prine, a friend and mentor who showcased the band at his Grand Ole Opry appearance. It was the perfect lead-in to “Take Me In,” the band’s beautiful ballad of inclusion and unity. The band ended the song by leaning into their gospel side, running through “Amazing Grace” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.” The show closed with the fiery “Need Someone to Love,” a sweeping climax that embraced the crowd, the crew, the streaming audience and the whole world with its message of love. It was a fantastic way to end the night, and we can’t wait for you to see it when The War And Treaty’s episode airs early next year as part of our Season 46 on your local PBS station. 

photos by Scott Newton
Categories
Featured News Taping Recap

Ruthie Foster gives ACL a glorious infusion of soul

photo by Scott Newton

It’s no surprise Austin singer/songwriter Ruthie Foster has an album in her catalog titled The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster. Anyone who’s heard her sing, listened to her songs, or watched her lead a band, has no doubt of the veracity of that title. We here at Austin City Limits have known how phenomenal she is since her 2003 debut on the show, so we were thrilled to welcome her back for her second knockout taping, which included new songs from an upcoming 2021 album and Foster classics. 

“I know we’ve been dealing with some tough times, so I wanted to start with this song,” Foster noted, opening with a new track, “Four a.m.,” a folky ode to late-night composition featuring keyboardist/mandolinist Scottie Miller on counterpoint vocals. Foster introduced viewers to “Pearl,” her minty green Gretsch guitar, and welcomed a powerhouse trio of backing vocalists to the stage, Sheree Smith, Tamara Mack and Torri Baker, for “Brand New Day,” a funky, gospel-flavored number that would shine a light in any dark world. Foster and company then shifted directly to gospel, specifically a joyful take on “Up Above My Head,” a classic from one of her early influences, the pioneering singer and guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe. “I really do believe there’s a heaven,” she sang, making a believer out of everyone. Foster continued demonstrating how to make a song her own with a surprising seventies soul ballad rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” She then put down Pearl and led the band into the empowerment anthem “Phenomenal Woman,” showcasing both her powerhouse vocal chops and her confident joy. 

After that showstopper, it was time to magnify the mood with “Singing the Blues,” a groovy R&B song co-written with Stax soul legend William Bell. “Feels like Freedom” followed, another anthem that Foster borrowed from the catalog of an unnamed singer/songwriter after first hearing it. The easygoing soul/pop tune “Love is the Answer” came from a source closer to home: her bassist Larry Fulcher, who revealed he wrote it in a dream. Foster and her ace four-piece band – which also included guitarist Haddon Sayers and famous Austin session drummer Brannen Temple – then dipped into the catalog of the mighty Staples Singers for “The Ghetto,” a gorgeous, piercing bit of social commentary. While that song brooded, however, “Healing Time” – co-composed by Foster, Sayers and Miller – celebrated, bringing an upbeat soul groove to its message of positivity and healing. “I feel that one,” smiled Foster. “Y’all feel that one?” 

“I want to send more healing vibes to you and your families,” Foster said, addressing everyone watching the live stream around the world. That meant the rousing  “Woke Up This Morning,” a socially conscious soul/gospel number that raised the roof with more good vibes that seemed to surprise Foster herself. “Somebody opened the door and let Hallelujah in the house!” She then asserted, “Let’s go down to Mississippi for a while,” bringing the blues into the house with the raw, earthy “Runaway Soul.” Miller and Sayers both contributed superlative solos, the backup singers took everyone to church, and Foster outdid herself with a vocal performance that would make the dead rise and give thanks. It was a magnificent end to a wonderful show, and we can’t wait for you to see it when it airs next January as part of our Season 46 on your local PBS station. 

photos by Scott Newton
Categories
Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News Uncategorized

ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel

photo by Scott Newton

Austin City Limits celebrates 50 years of western swing legends Asleep at the Wheel as the two Austin music institutions team up for an hour-long retrospective. ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel offers a fascinating look at the Texas swing outfit’s evolution from the 1970s to the present via highlights from their many appearances on the ACL stage. The new installment premieres October 31 at 8pm CT/9pm ET on PBS. With live music still on pause, ACL continues to provide viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance. The series airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available online for a limited time at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast.

From the ever-changing cast of characters that make up Asleep at the Wheel, the 6’7” larger-than-life bandleader Ray Benson has been the one constant since the band’s inception in 1970. The ten-time Grammy Award-winners have released 31 albums and charted more than 20 singles on the country charts. Asleep at the Wheel has kept the western swing flame burning for five decades, and the revivalists are the chief practitioners, conspirators and caretakers of the genre, carrying the traditions well into the 21st century, reaching both their contemporaries and inspiring a new generation of artists. 

Inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame in 2015, Asleep at the Wheel and Austin City Limits go way back, beginning with the program’s first official episode in 1976 (following Willie Nelson’s 1974 pilot episode). Their 11 iconic appearances are highlighted by classic and latter-day collaborations with special guests including Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Johnny Gimble, Vince Gill and The Avett Brothers. The Wheel has woven a 50-year thread through Texas and American music history, and Austin City Limits has played a key role in documenting their remarkable run. The entertaining hour showcases the band’s rollicking journey through the decades ranging from their ‘76 performance of “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read,” to “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” from 2015. Willie Nelson joins the band for multiple performances, including a 2009 appearance billed as Willie & The Wheel, singing the classics “Hesitation Blues” and “Pancho & Lefty” alongside the band’s stellar line-up of musicians. A highlight is a rarely-seen performance featuring Willie, Freddy Powers, and Johnny Gimble on the Tin Pan Alley standard “After You’ve Gone” from a 1981 pledge special, Swingin’ Over the Rainbow. ACL opens up the original Studio 6A for Texas two-stepping during a vintage 1988 performance of the crowd pleaser “Boogie Back to Texas.” The late Texas Playboys’ singer Leon Rausch (then 88-years-old) joins the band for a show-stopping “Milk Cow Blues” during a 2015 outing. A few classic songs performed multiple times over the years, including “Take Me Back to Tulsa” and “Miles and Miles of Texas” are showcased in a compilation of the different performances. 

In a recorded introduction to the special, fearless leader and founder Ray Benson remarks: “Forty-five years ago our band appeared on a newly formed show highlighting the Austin music scene called Austin City Limits…this was our introduction to the world.” “It was the beginning of what they would call the cosmic cowboy or outlaw music scene here in Austin where hippies and cowboys came together for some really amazing music. As we celebrate Asleep at the Wheel’s 50th Anniversary we thought it was appropriate to take a look back.”

ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel setlist:

“The Letter That Johnny Walker Read” – 1976

“Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” – 1978

“Get Your Kicks on Route 66” – 1996 

“Roly Poly” ft. The Texas Playboys – 1993

“Hesitation Blues” ft. Willie Nelson – 2009

“Nothing Takes The Place of You” – 1976

“Blues for Dixie” ft. Lyle Lovett – 2015 ACL Hall of Fame 

“Let Me Go Home Whiskey” – 1976

“After You’ve Gone” ft. Willie Nelson, Freddy Powers, and Johnny Gimble – 1981

“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love ”- 2015

“Boogie Back to Texas” – 1988 

“Milk Cow Blues” – 2015

“Miles and Miles of Texas” – 1996, 2002, and 1980

“Choo Choo Boogie” – 1978, 1988, and 1996

“Pancho and Lefty” ft. Willie Nelson – 2009

“Take Me Back to Tulsa” ft. The Avett Brothers and Vince Gill – 1996, 2015, 1978, and 1976

“Cotton Eyed Joe” – 1980

Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding Season 46 live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter and IG. . Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

About ACL Presents:

ACL Presents is music programming created by, or in association with, Austin PBS, KLRU-TV, the producers of Austin City Limits (ACL). ACL Presents programming includes television specials, live events, web series and recorded music presentations and is made in the spirit and standards of the legendary PBS series Austin City Limits, the longest-running live music series in television history. ACL Presents collaborations have included:  Americana Music Festival with the Americana Music Association and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass with KQED.

About 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 46th 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 KLRU 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.

Categories
Featured Live Stream News Taping Announcement

ACL announces live stream and date change for The War And Treaty

photo by David McClister

Austin City Limits is delighted to remind fans that we will be streaming the highly-anticipated debut taping with Nashville’s The War And Treaty live. This show has also moved from its original date to November 10 at 8 p.m. The taping will stream here. 

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.

Join us here on November 10 at 8 p.m. CT for this debut taping by The War And Treaty. The broadcast episode will air early next year as part of our upcoming Season 46, on PBS.

Categories
Featured News

R.I.P. Billy Joe Shaver

photo by Scott Newton

Austin City Limits is devastated to learn of the death of singer/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, one of the pioneers of the outlaw country movement. He died Wednesday Oct. 28 in the hospital in Waco following a stroke. He was 81. 

Nobody wrote songs about hard living and redemption like Billy Joe Shaver. Whether he was talking about falling off the wagon or getting back on, the Corsicana, Texas native’s plainspoken eloquence found the beauty in the rough times, and expressed it with optimism for the future. On his classic, much-covered tunes like “Georgia On a Fast Train” and “I’m Just An Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday),” Shaver didn’t wallow in the seamier side of life – he understood that the bad times were as important a part of the journey as the good ones, and never gave up on hope, love, or joy. Though he mystifyingly never enjoyed the same level of fame as his contemporaries Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson or John Prine, he was admired, respected and loved by them all. Indeed, Jennings brought Shaver to prominence by filling his classic 1973 LP Honky Tonk Heroes with the troubadour’s songs. 

Billy Joe Shaver on Austin City Limits, 1985

“A writer once said that Waylon Jennings and Billy Joe Shaver were ‘the first of the last real cowboys,’” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Billy Joe added the heart and soul and grit and edge that made so-called outlaw country music real. He lived the life he wrote about, and we’re proud to have showcased his music four times over the years.”

As Shaver put it in one of his most famous songs, “I’m gonna live forever.” Perhaps not in body, but most definitely in body of work. Rest in peace, Billy Joe – you were definitely a diamond. 

Billy Joe and Eddy Shaver on Austin City Limits, 1997