To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Austin City Limits, Zilker Belts has designed and produced two custom leather belts, the Spotlight and Backstage, featuring signature black Argentine leather expertly hand-stitched in Buenos Aires with tonal grey and gold nylon thread, incorporating the iconic Austin City Limits logo.
Zilker Belts values handmade artistry and are passionate about bringing traditional Argentine fashion to our hometown of Austin and beyond. We’re thrilled to partner with a brand like Zilker Belts, music lovers through and through, whose passion for their city is reinforced by their Zilker Sessions and collaborations with other Austin brands like SXSW, Luck Reunion, and The Daytripper, to name a few.
DON’T KNOW YOUR SIZE? A good rule when choosing a Zilker Belt is to go 2” larger than your pants’ waist size. So if you typically wear size 34 jeans, order a size 36 belt. For odd sizes, we suggest ordering 3” larger to be safe (ex. – choose a size 38 Zilker Belt for size 35 jeans).
Belts will also be sold at the merch table at Austin City Limits tapings and other events, and are available to purchase online HERE.
Austin City Limits is proud to announce new summer tapings from a stellar slate of American originals for our golden anniversary Season 50: critically acclaimed producer/songwriter/performer Maggie Rogers returns on May 30 with songs from her new album Don’t Forget Me; celebrated singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves returns for her third headlining appearance on June 3 to showcase her acclaimed new release Deeper Well; powerhouse act The War And Treaty return to the ACL stage on June 28 for their second feature slot; and 2024 Grammy Best New Artist nominee Gracie Abrams makes her ACL debut on July 30 with new music from her upcoming sophomore album The Secret of Us.
Maggie Rogers. Photo by Maddy Rotman.
GRAMMY® Award-nominated producer/songwriter/performer Maggie Rogers recently shared her third studio album,Don’t Forget Me, out now via Capitol Records.Rogers co-produced her new album with Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris) at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, writing eight of its 10 songs with him and penning two alone. Shawn Everett (Brittany Howard, The War on Drugs) mixed and the album was mastered by Emily Lazar (Beck, Coldplay), who has mastered all of Rogers’ albums to date.Praising the album’s “transcendent songwriting,” SPIN said, “with Don’t Forget Me, Rogers sounds fully confident.” Rolling Stone said, “For such a heavy emotional lift, the album is an easygoing listen, perfect for a Sunday-afternoon drive.” In this feature, The New Yorker praised the album as “the loosest and most elemental music she’s made…burly, coltish, tender, fun,” while Pitchfork declared, “the singer-songwriter’s third album is her strongest yet, the sounds of a wise, clear-eyed melodious prodigy coming into her own voice. Originally from Maryland, Rogers released her breakthrough EP Now That The Light Is Fadingin 2017. Widely hailed as an artist to watch, Rogers released her critically acclaimed Capitol Records debut album Heard It In A Past Life in January 2019 and immediately found tremendous success: entering Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart at No. 1 and debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The album earned praise from the likes of NPR, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, TIME Magazine, Vogue, and many more. Heard It In A Past Life also landed Rogers a nomination for Best New Artist at the 62nd GRAMMY® Awards and led to performances on major TV shows including Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Austin City Limits, Today, and more. The album, which contains the platinum hits “Light On” and “Alaska,” has amassed over one billion combined global streams and is certified Gold in the U.S. In 2022, Rogers released her follow up album, Surrender, to widespread acclaim and embarked on two sold-out headline tours across Europe and North America including her Summer of ’23 Tour, which included stops at legendary venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, Forest Hills Stadium in NYC and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Rogers kicks off her “Don’t Forget Me Tour, Part 1”May 23 at Gallagher Square at Petco Park in San Diego, CA, and will perform two nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado (May 27 + May 28). The “Don’t Forget Me Tour, Part II” — Rogers’ first-ever arena outing — will launch on October 9th at Moody Center in Austin, TX and include shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden (October 19) and the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA (November 2).
Kacey Musgraves. Photo by Kelly Christine Sutton.
Kacey Musgraves has always been a little bit magic. From the tumbling sparkle of Laurel Canyon acoustics that cascade into “Cardinal,” the swirling opener on the seven-time Grammy winner’s fifth album, Deeper Well, the metaphysical and incandescent are even more present and powerful from a woman whose songs have cast a glow on how evolved people live since her first single “Merry Go ‘Round” charmed the world over a decade ago with its hypocrisy-skewering appeal. If there’s one thing Musgraves has done across one of modern music’s most expansive and adventurous creative journeys, it’s trust her gut. Glistening folk-pop and country explorations with just enough bluegrass to spin the modern arrangements organically, she wears these songs like a second skin. For Deeper Well, the introspective writer found herself drawn to NYC’s legendary Electric Lady studio. Working with longtime co-producers Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian, the music on Deeper Well is almost chimeric: rolling acoustic guitars, puffy clouds of strings and synth, warm bass punctuations, layered harmonies, moments of Celtic melody and plenty of room on the tracks for Musgraves’ silvery vocals. On the bright, almost folky title track, the 30-something songstress surveys her life and priorities, recognizing what feeds her, drains her and even examines the Texas childhood she’s left behind on her way to now. “Sonically, I’ve been craving classic American songwriting,” she says. “Real songs. No gimmicks. The color palette of where those songs came from was everything I felt pulled to. New York is one of the places that kind of record came from. Simon & Garfunkel, the Greenwich Village clubs, fingerpicking and James Taylor. Social commentary. Storytelling. I always look for honesty in terms of the songs, and this record is no different. Unconsciously, I think that’s part of what drew us to taking our stories to New York City.” Deeply personal, universally true, Deeper Well is a coming of enlightenment song collection that embraces fear, vulnerability and the joy found beyond the doubt most sentient people wrestle. “Love is the prism,” says the sloe-eyed songwriter, “and my role in it. I make sense of the world around me by looking for balance and I’d like to think this album is for anyone who’s living life and paying attention.”
The War And Treaty. Photo by Austin Hargrave.
Founded in 2014 by the husband-and-wife duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, The War And Treaty has emerged as one of the most electrifying new acts in American music. The Nashville-based pair recently garnered their first-ever GRAMMY nominations for Best American Roots Song and the all-genre Best New Artist, along with a 2024 Duo of the Year nomination from the Academy of Country Music. This follows an exciting year of honors for the pair including their first-ever Duo of the Year nomination from the Country Music Association and nominations for this year’s CMT Music Awards for Duo/Group Video of the Year and for CMT Performance of the Year. Further recent recognition has come from the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, and the Americana Music Association. With a lionhearted sonic blend, both roaring with passion and tender to the touch, The Tennessean notes, “they are unlike any other act in music.” The War And Treaty’s 2023 major label debut album Lover’s Game (Mercury Nashville) was met with critical praise, with the Associated Press claiming, “The colossally talented pair continue their commando, no-limits journey to the top of the music world.” Drawing respect across the board, they have gone on to appear as top-flight collaborators, including the latest “Hey Driver” with Zach Bryan. The group also just released their first new single of 2024, “Stealing A Kiss” – a seductive envelope of country soul that they are becoming well known for. The War And Treaty has captivated audiences across the globe from North America to Europe, Australia and beyond, while headlining their own shows and opening for a diverse group of living legends: Al Green, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, John Legend, Lauren Daigle, and Van Morrison among them. The War And Treaty made their ACL debut in Season 46 in 2020 during ACL’s limited audience pandemic tapings, and we are thrilled to welcome them back to light up the ACL stage, this time with a full live audience.
Gracie Abrams. Photo by Abby Waisler.
Gracie Abrams returns with the highly-anticipated new album, The Secret of Us, out June 21st on Interscope Records. The album’s newly-released lead single “Risk” was met with an outgoing of support and excitement from fans online as well as raves from Rolling Stone, Billboard, Nylon and more. The 24-year-old songwriter co-wrote the bubbly yet incisive new track with longtime friend Audrey Hobert and took a hands-on role producing the new single alongside her friend and frequent collaborator, the National’s Aaron Dessner. The Secret of Us will come nearly a year since her debut album, Good Riddance, which Gracie released in February 2023 and Rolling Stone hailed “one of 2023’s Best Debuts.” Good Riddance earned Gracie her first ever Grammy nod at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards with a nomination for the highly coveted Best New Artist. Since making her debut in 2019, Gracie Abrams has emerged as one of the most compelling singer-songwriters of her generation, earning the admiration of such like minded artists as Taylor Swift, Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo. A consummate songwriter who names Joni Mitchell as her most formative influence, she penned her first song at age eight, then went on to amass a devoted following on the strength of her emotionally intimate lyrics and DIY sensibilities. With the arrival of her breakout debut project minor in summer 2020, she received glowing reviews from the likes of NME, who praised her “painfully honest tales of heartbreak draped in delicate melodies that carry much more intrigue than the usual run-of-the-mill singer-songwriter.” The seven-song effort features her beloved singles “21,” “I miss you, I’m sorry,” and “Long Sleeves.” In late 2021, Abrams returned with This Is What It Feels Like, a 12-track project exploring such complex emotional experiences as self-betrayal, insecurity, and failed attempts at connection. Soon after completing her sold-out North American headline tour for This Is What It Feels Like, she set to work on her debut album. Abrams kicked off 2022 with a headline tour of North America followed by a support slot on Olivia Rodrigo’s tour and reconnected with Dessner to release two songs “Block me out” and “Difficult.” In early 2023, Abrams released her debut album, Good Riddance, followed by a North American headline tour that sold out in under one hour. Gracie toured with Taylor Swift as the opening on select dates of her blockbuster Eras Tour and will continue as direct support when the Eras Tour returns to North America later this year.
We’re excited to welcome these stellar acts to the ACL stage for our milestone 50th season. Want to be part of our audience? We will post information on how to get free passes a week in advance of each taping. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for notice of postings. The broadcast episodes will air on PBS this fall as part of our anniversary Season 50.
UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. Austin City Limits will tape a performance by Jacob Collier on Tuesday, May 14th at 8 pm at ACL Live at The Moody Theater (310 W. 2nd Street, Willie Nelson Blvd). Austin City Limits Taping Giveaways are presented by AXS Events.
Winners will be chosen at random and a photo ID will be required to pick up tickets. Winners will be notified via email. Duplicate entries for a single taping will be automatically voided. Tickets are not transferable and will be voided if sold. Standing may be required. No photography, recording or cell phone use in the studio. No cameras, computers or recording devices allowed in the venue. While we do our best to accommodate all winners, we cannot guarantee admission. These passes are based on space available therefore you will be filling in spots available on the floor or balcony depending on the tickets that are available when you arrive.
Where to start when detailing the impact that 29-year-old producer, multi-instrumentalist and composer Jacob Collier has had on the global music scene? Recognized by audiences, critics, and fellow musicians alike as one of the most gifted young artists of modern times, Collier already has a seemingly endless list of achievements including six Grammy wins – which saw him become the first British act in history to win four Grammys for each of his first four albums – along with 12 Grammy nominations including Album of the Year in 2021.
As a result, his roster of collaborators is astoundingly varied and vibrant; there is Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who he joined for three nights of a sold out run at London’s Wembley Stadium in August 2022, as well as featuring on the group’s 2021 song “Human Heart”. Collier is a close musical confidante of Stormzy having not only worked with the superstar UK rapper as a cowriter, performer and featured artist on his landmark album This Is What I Mean, but also alongside Shawn Mendes and Kirk Franklin on his own single “Witness Me”. Collier co-wrote and sang on the international 2020 hit “Good Days” with SZA, featured John Mayer on his 2022 single “Never Gonna Be Alone”, and helped Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer score the 2017 and 2021 feature films Boss Baby and its sequel Boss Baby: Family Business. In his own projects, Collier has worked with an unpredictable cast of artistic powerhouses, from Malian singer Oumou Sangaré to T-Pain, Ty Dolla $ign, Daniel Caesar, Tori Kelly and John Legend (to name a few). Each artist has sought out Collier’s distinct musical identity, cementing his status as the conduit for a generation’s ineffable creativity.
He has left such a mark on the artistic landscape already that the BBC profiled him in an hour-long Imagine special – making him one of the youngest participants in its 19 years on the network. Other media have also followed suit, as Collier has been profiled by VOGUE, the New York Times, Harpers Bazaar and on the cover of The Guardian’s culture supplement, has recorded two NPR Tiny Desks, has spoken at the world-renowned TED conference, and has performed on TV shows around the world including the BBC’s Later with Jools Holland, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Exploding onto the global stage with the viral success of his multi-frame, multi-instrumental YouTube covers, Collier caught the attention of Quincy Jones and under his mentorship released his debut album, In My Room, in 2016. Recorded, produced and played entirely by Collier, In My Room heralded the arrival of a staggering musical mind, traversing everything from microtonal of the Flintstones theme to folk-influenced ballads. An ensuing one-man-band international tour saw Collier developing an innovative live show (“By the end of Jacob Collier’s set, it was difficult to imagine how anything could follow it, let alone equal it” DAILY TELEGRAPH ★★★★★) where he played and layered 12 instruments to recreate the world of In My Room onstage. “My audiences are so musical and they participate so readily in the music,” he says. “When I play live, I’m not just showing up to entertain, it feels like we’re all coming together to make music in unison.”
That natural pull towards musical collaboration went on to inform Collier’s plans for his ensuing four-part Djesse series of albums. “After being on my own for In My Room, I realised I wanted to work with other people and learn from them,” he says. “I decided to make a quadruple album including every genre under the sun, where each collaborator made music that was special to me. I wanted to plunge myself into the deepest possible waters of creativity.”
The resulting volumes of Djesse have delivered on Collier’s ambitious promise, featuring an incredible array of collaborators, and musical themes that encompass everything from orchestral composition to folk songwriting, R&B, rap and pop. “The key skill to collaboration is drawing things out of people that they didn’t know they had in them,” he says. “It’s all about being taken by surprise and holding the potential for things changing.”
While on his 2019 Djesse world tour, Collier experienced one such moment of surprise that would go on to shape his final volume in the series. In San Francisco, he decided to lead his audience in an acapella singalong, conducting them to create new chords in the process. It was a spontaneous, enlivening moment that swiftly became a key ritual throughout his encores on his 2022 & 2023 DJESSE World Tour. “It’s a rousing improvised choral performance that has become an anthem in my life,” Collier says. “I’ve done over 70 shows conducting the audience like that and it never fails, no matter where you go. There’s something that really moves me about all these people finding themselves in these moments of collective singing.”
Most recently, Jacob has concluded the Djesse “quadrilogy” with his final installment, Djesse Vol. 4, having been released on February 29, 2024 released on a leap day (an ode to it coming every four years). Djesse Vol. 4 includes a total of 16 sweeping songs and a staggering list of special guests. ChrisMartin, aespa, Michael McDonald, Camilo, Brandi Carlile, Madison Cunningham, Chris Thile, Yelle, CHIKA, Anoushka Shankar, The Aeolians 2018 Choir, Lindsey Lomis and his mother Suzie Collier all appear on top of the album’s connective thread and beating heart: a collective “Audience Choir” of 150,000 fans’ voices, which Collier recorded in every corner of the world.
Ultimately, although Collier has already achieved more than most artists could hope for in a lifetime, he is still restlessly creative. He has plans for future projects centered on solo piano, orchestras, and film scoring, while he has written for a forthcoming West End musical on the life of opera singer Luciano Pavarotti. “I’m just following my voice to see where it takes me next,” he says. “I’m keeping my mind and ears open, as there is still so much more to discover and create.” With such an ineffable and unpredictable career to date, the only certainty is that Collier will continue to surprise and delight, no matter which avenue he explores next.
Powerhouse singer/songwriter Brittany Howard took the Austin City Limits stage for her fourth outing Monday night with an electric hour, showcasing latest album What Now, along with highlights from her acclaimed 2019 solo debut Jaime mixed into a dazzling set. Having formerly taped two episodes with her band Alabama Shakes, followed by a phenomenal solo Austin City Limits debut in 2021 for Season 47, the studio audience was buzzing with anticipation to experience new solo work from the ACL favorite.
“We’re so happy to be here,” smiled Howard, who emerged from backstage wearing a sparkling floor-length caftan dress that shone just as bright as her onstage presence.
Brittany and band enraptured the audience right out of the gate with What Now opening tracks “Earth Sign,” and “I Don’t.” Recorded during the pandemic, What Now is an affirming genre experimentation with existential lyrics that at times take a heady psychedelic turn. Mixing in some selects off Jaime, by the time Howard pulled out crowd favorite “Stay High,” the audience was ready to sing along. Howard let out a friendly laugh mid-song at the audience’s enthusiastic recognition of the hit.
Following new tunes “Red Flags” and “Samson,” the unstoppable frontwoman forayed into playing a suite of songs from Jaime, including “Baby,” “History Repeats,” “Georgia,” and a very moody “Goat Head,” with her stellar band and longtime backing vocalists Shanay Johnson and Karita Law fading in the meditative groove from a skillfully controlled almost-silence. Songs faded into each other, with trippy segues into meditative guitar by Alex Chakour and Brad Allan Williams piggybacked by a keys solo from Paul Horton to bookend “Georgia.” Howard let out an energetic scream in “History Repeats,” followed by a killer drum break in “13th Century Metal,” courtesy of drummer Nate Smith that inspired an audience clap-along.
The latter portion of the set became introspective and vulnerable, with new track “To Be Still” performed with just her ace backing vocalists and guitarist Brad Allan Williams accompanying Howard’s vocals. Her soaring voice in “Every Color in Blue,” further confirmed her status as one of music’s greatest vocalists.
“Live music is such an important thing, you know,” offered Howard as her remaining band members left her alone centerstage. Switching to an acoustic guitar, she shared, “I saw my first live band play when I was eleven years old, and it was from that moment that I decided that this was what I wanted to do. And I studied hard and I worked real hard, taught myself how to play, and I taught myself how to write songs, and now I get to be here with all of ya’ll.” With that she launched into a heartfelt “Short and Sweet,” ending the performance and walking offstage.
The audience rhythmically clapped Brittany and band back onstage for an encore featuring a trio of songs from What Now: “Interlude,” “Another Day” and the title track, a perfect end to a transformative set. We can’t wait for you to see it when it airs this fall on PBS as part of our golden anniversary Season 50.
Brittany Howard performs on Austin City Limits, April 29, 2024. Photos by Scott Newton.
Listen to the full set list from the Austin City Limits taping below:
UPDATE: The Giveaway is now closed. Austin City Limits will tape a performance by Nickel Creek on Sunday, May 5th at 8 pm at ACL Live at The Moody Theater (310 W. 2nd Street, Willie Nelson Blvd). Austin City Limits Taping Giveaways are presented by AXS Events.
Winners will be chosen at random and a photo ID will be required to pick up tickets. Winners will be notified via email. Duplicate entries for a single taping will be automatically voided. Tickets are not transferable and will be voided if sold. Standing may be required. No photography, recording or cell phone use in the studio. No cameras, computers or recording devices allowed in the venue.
GRAMMY Award-winning trio Nickel Creek—Sara Watkins (fiddle), Sean Watkins (guitar), and Chris Thile (mandolin)—is in the midst of a triumphant year following the release of their acclaimed new album, Celebrants—their first new project in nine years.
Recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A, Celebrants was nominated for Best Folk Album at this year’s 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards and was released to overwhelming critical attention. Of the record, NPR Music declares, “the trio sounds and plays better than ever…these songs are nuanced and honest, not fantasy but one suited for introspection,” while Paste praises, “their instruments and voices alternately blend and shine…it’s a joy to have the gang back together” and Spin proclaims, “giddily ambitious…breathtaking instrumental interplay between mandolin, guitar, and fiddle.” Known for their high energy live shows, Nickel Creek will continue to perform through this summer in support of the record, including an extensive headline tour this spring as well as a special co-headline run with Andrew Bird in July.
Together a sum of more than their staggering parts, Nickel Creek revolutionized bluegrass and folk in the early 2000s and ushered in a new era of what we now recognize as Americana music. After meeting as young children and subsequently earning the respect of the bluegrass circuit for a decade, the trio signed with venerable label, Sugar Hill Records, in 2000 and quickly broke through with their Grammy-nominated, Alison Krauss-produced self-titled LP. Since that effort, the trio has released three more studio albums to date: 2002’s This Side, which won Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 45th Grammy Awards, 2005’s Why Should the Fire Die? and 2014’s A Dotted Line.
We here at Austin City Limits TV would like to wish a very happy birthday to the one and only Willie Nelson, 91 years young today. Willie has, of course, a long history with ACL, beginning with our pilot episode in 1975 and continuing through multiple (and we mean multiple) headlining shows, songwriters specials and guest appearances. He’s a local, state and national treasure, and we hope he’s still twanging away on Trigger when he hits 100. Happy birthday, Willie!
Willie performs on Austin City Limits through the years. From left to right: Season 1 pilot, Season 44, Season 6, Season Season 5
