Austin City LimitsAustin City Limits will be taping a performance by Gary Clark Jr on Friday, November 30th, at 8 pm at ACL Live at The Moody Theater (310 W. 2nd Street, Willie Nelson Blvd). We will be giving away a limited number of space available passes to this taping. Enter your name and email address on the below form by 9 am Wednesday, November 28.
Passes are not transferable and cannot be sold. Standing may be required.
No photography, recording or cell phone use in the studio.
When it comes to reggae, Jimmy Cliff, whose ACL episode encores this weekend, is indisputably one of the greats. He first found fame as a teenager, with a string of hit singles in his native Jamaica. By the late 60s, reggae was spreading beyond the borders of his birthplace and Cliff became one of its first international stars with “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and “Vietnam,” which Bob Dylan called “the best protest song I’ve ever heard.” In 1972 Cliff starred in the acclaimed film The Harder They Come, writing and singing the hit title song. Other Cliff compositions like “Many Rivers to Cross” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want” have also become often-covered, much-loved reggae standards. Cliff continues to record and tour all over the world, collaborating with Sting, the Clash’s Joe Strummer, Kool & the Gang, Wyclef Jean and the Rolling Stones along the way. As popular now as he ever was, Jimmy Cliff is the face of reggae, as you’ll see for yourself this Saturday – check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time and channel.
Check out the episode page for more details, and drop in on our Facebook and Twitter pages for more ACL info. Next week: Steve Miller Band and Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Mumford & Sons are featured in this weekend’s encore presentation of Austin City Limits, airing November 17 on PBS. The British folk band with a huge stateside following are riding high with the bestselling Babel, one of the biggest releases of 2012. The episode, which originally aired in October 2011, finds Mumford & Sons making their ACL debut and is a must-see for fans and a primer for those new to the band’s cathartic live shows. Highlights include a performance of their current single “Lover of the Light,” which at the time had not been recorded. Viewers are treated to a high-octane night of contemporary music’s best folk rock practitioners, including a set by Celtic folk-punkers Flogging Molly.
Blending acoustic instrumentation, vocal harmonies and a tireless work ethic, Mumford & Sons have earned an international reputation as one of the best live bands, winning over audiences with their masterful, melancholy voices and musical skills. Mumford & Sons’ inspired set features tracks from their career-making debut Sigh No More, and the blockbuster follow-up Babel. The energy on the night of the taping vibrated the walls at The Moody Theater, and it translates directly to the screen. The band perform fan favorites “The Cave” and “Roll Away Your Stone” and poignant ballads “Timshel” and “Awake My Soul.” A highlight is an early televised performance of “Lover of the Light,” previously unrecorded, and now featured on Babel.
“The first time this show aired, Mumford & Sons did not have the biggest-selling record in the world (like they do now),” says ACL Executive Producer Terry Lickona. “But today they still capture the hearts and souls of young music fans better than anybody else around – and this amazing performance shows why. They do it the old-fashioned way, with authentic songs that speak to real life, and they play their asses off!”
Speaking of energy, Flogging Molly doesn’t disappoint in their ACL debut. The band storms the stage with tuneful melodies and puts on a magnificent show with their unique brand of Celtic folk/punk. Tune in for lively renditions of “Requiem For A Dying Song,” “Tobacco Island,” and “Devil’s Dance Floor.” Bandleader Dave King called their ACL taping “the most important live performance they’ve ever done.”
“A live Flogging Molly show is an experience as much as it is a show,” hints ACL’s Terry Lickona. “When you’re watching, crank up the volume and buckle up for the ride!”
Check the episode page for more info, photos and clips. Click over to our Facebook and Twitter pages for up-to-date news on all things Austin City Limits. Next week: reggae legend Jimmy Cliff.
This weekend we’re taking a break from our Season 38 episodes for ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2012. The eleventh annual Americana Music Festival took place earlier this fall in Nashville, TN, in the historic Ryman Auditorium, with some fantastic performances from legendary artists who helped define the genre, plus some newcomers who are keeping the tradition true. Featured artists include Booker T. Jones, Alabama Shakes, Hayes Carll with Cary Ann Hearst, Guy Clark, Lee Ann Womack, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Mavericks, Richard Thompson, Carolina Chocolate Drops and many more! It’s a night full of the brightest stars celebrating the roots of American music.
Described by Southern Living as “the best music festival” the night was hosted once again by Jim Lauderdale and bandleader Buddy Miller. One highlight of the night included Lee Ann Womack singing a Tom T. Hall song entitled “I Love” in which the man himself joined her onstage, singing the last verse and receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. Another moving moment was brought on by Guy Clark’s intimate performance of “My Favorite Picture of You” a song he wrote for Susanna Clark, his late wife who passed away earlier this year. The night culminated when Emmylou Harris, Amy Helm, Bonnie Raitt, John Hiatt, Richard Thompson, Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes), and various other musicians joined onstage to do a tribute to the late Levon Helm by performing the timeless hit, “The Weight.”
This is one night of performances you won’t want to miss! Be sure to check here for details on this special show and here for local listings and times. Also be sure to check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr pages for all things Austin City Limits and updates about tapings. Join us next week for an encore episode featuring Mumford & Sons and Flogging Molly!
We here at ACL were saddened to learn that legendary University of Texas football coach Darrell K. Royal passed away this morning at the age of 88. Not only was Royal the “winningest coach in University of Texas history,” as noted by the Austin-American Statesman, but he was also a longtime friend of Austin City Limits. He helped us grease the wheels with the many artists he knew personally, including Merle Haggard and George Jones. The “guitar pulls” at his house that featured his buddy Willie Nelson and veteran and up-and-coming writers inspired our Songwriters Specials. And we also remember him as being one of our most loyal fans. His friend Terry Lickona, ACL executive producer, had this to say:
“Darrell Royal – or just Coach, as we called him – was one of the best friends Austin City Limits had back in its early days. He would come to many, if not most, of the tapings in the original Studio 6A. In fact, we saved a special seat for him at practically every show, ‘just in case.’ It was in the corner of the back row of the middle bleacher, where everyone entering could see him and he could greet the fans as they came in. In fact, he actually helped us book Merle Haggard during Season 3, at a time when most major artists had never even heard of the show. He had a passion for music, especially songwriters, a quick wit, an iron-grip handshake and an ear-to-ear smile. There are few, if any, Austin icons like him left.”
Goodbye, Coach. May you rest in peace.
The best rock concert is a communal experience, as much about people coming together for a shared goal as it is about entertainment. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros show a deeper understanding of that concept than just about any other group on the scene. Led by singer/songwriter Alex Ebert, the fast-rising indie folk band has spread its eccentric gospel on two acclaimed records that encourage listener identification, whether or not one buys into Ebert’s concept about the messianic figure Edward Sharpe. That special, communal magic was in full effect during the band’s debut Austin City Limits taping.
Working without a setlist, the band opened with “Man On Fire,” the first track on its latest LP Home. Beginning with a low-key vocal thrum, the song revved up to a sort of indie rock hoedown, as instruments got added along the way and Ebert made the first of several trips out into the audience. By the time the song was over, Ebert and the crowd, already pumped to see the band play, had bonded.
The interaction between audience and the band was no surprise, given the obvious influence of old-time gospel on the music. “That’s What’s Up” (with its funky synth riff), “I Don’t Wanna Pray” (a pro-spirituality/anti-organized religion polemic) and the downright inspirational “Up From Below” made good use of gospel’s dynamics, with celebratory melodies and group vocals that rose, fell and rose again. “If You Wanna,” “40 Day Dream” and the radio hit “Home” became exercises in call-and-response, as Ebert engaged the crowd so they became part of the performance. On “Janglin’,” an audience request, Ebert left the stage once again, climbing into the mezzanine and sharing a drink with a fan. Music aside, the most important thing Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros have borrowed from gospel music is its inclusiveness – the idea that we’re all in this together, so let’s sing!
Not everything was indie rock hosannahs. “Fiya Wata” was full-throated folk rock, as well as a showcase for Ebert’s onstage/vocal foil Jade Castrinos. The pretty indie folk of “Mayla” manifested orchestral pop trappings, as if the band was listening to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band while recording. The atmospheric “Desert Song” floated like nothing else in the set, while the lovely “Child,” sung by guitarist Christian Letts, proved a respite from the otherwise high energy.
The show climaxed with “Om Nashi Me.” Ebert explained that the song grew out of nonsense syllables, but that the title was Sanskrit for “Oh infinite nakedness.” Whether or not it’s true, the tune’s undeniable spiritual dimension fully engaged both band and crowd, as the latter eagerly contributed clapping in 6/8 time and the former lost themselves in the “And I love you forever” message. “Om Nashi Me” not only brought the show to an undeniable peak, but served as almost a statement of purpose for the band itself.
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros delivered one of the most unusual yet accessible shows we’ve ever had the privilege to record. We hope you’ll tune in early next year to see for yourself.