Austin City Limits is excited to announce we will be live streaming the debut taping of critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Adia Victoria on Oct. 3 at 8 pm CT. ACL offers fans worldwide the unique opportunity to watch this taping here in its entirety on our ACLTV YouTube Channel. The broadcast episode will air in early 2023 on PBS as part of our upcoming Season 48.
Adia Victoria is a daughter of the South, a born and bred South Carolinian who now makes her home in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s no surprise, then, that stories of the South find their way into her music, especially her latest, A Southern Gothic, her third full-length release. Sonically, the recordis equal parts historical montage and modern prophesy, dark and light, love and loathing. Put simply, it is the musical embodiment of the relationship that so many people, especially Black women, have with the South. Indeed, even as Victoria’s lyrics feel weighted by a Southern heaviness that is so often smothering, the music is also buoyed by rhythm and melody that illuminate the best of what this region has to offer. “You are getting that chill music, that vibe,” she explains, “but I wanted you to also get that ethereal feel of the South. I wanted you to get the humidity of it, the heat, the ways we reach to the pits of hell and the heights of heaven. I wanted this record to encapsulate the extremes of the South.” Much of the recording took place during the early days of the pandemic in Paris, France with Victoria and creative partner Mason Hickman becoming a two-person band of sorts until the world re-opened and they entered the studio with executive producer T-Bone Burnett. The result is a project that fits perfectly into Victoria’s catalogue and the rich legacy of Black Southern storytelling, even as it stands alone as a freshly innovative work. “With this project, I was so anchored in the past and the Black brilliance that came before me that it was kind of a road map,” says Victoria. “They said, ‘Sweetie, we’re gonna locate you, and we’re gonna allow you to move it forward.’”
Join us hereOctober 3 at 8 p.m. CT for Adia Victoria, and on PBS early next year for the broadcast episode. Tune in October 1 for the broadcast premiere of Austin City Limits new Season 48; watch live on PBS or stream anytime at PBS.org.
Austin City Limits is thrilled to announce a highly-anticipated debut taping with country superstar Maren Morris on October 31 as part of our Season 48. One of country music’s brightest stars, the multi-platinum, award-winning singer-songwriter makes her first-ever appearance showcasing songs from her latest Humble Quest, nominated for Album of the Year at this year’s upcoming CMA Awards. Maren comes to our stage from her current U.S. headlineHumble Quest Tour, which kicked off in June with high-profile stopsat Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater and more.
The Nashville-based Texas native is one of the leading voices in music today, armed with incredible vocal stylings and songwriting chops, sheer talent, honest lyrics and an undeniable presence. Her third album Humble Quest was released earlier this year to widespread critical acclaim, with The New York Times praising her as “pocket-size but with alpha presence, like a country music Mighty Mouse.” Humble Quest is Maren’s most genuine collection of songs, tracing her journey to embrace the imperfections in her life through snapshots of her rises and falls, overshares, lullabies, wine-soaked conversations with one old friend and a final goodbye to another one. The album debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, broke the record for most first day and first week streams globally on Amazon Music for a country album by a female artist and features the irresistible lead single “Circles Around This Town,” which was the most-added single at country radio upon impact and broke Amazon Music’s record for most streams for a country song debut by a female artist.
Maren and her musician husband Ryan Hurd were nominated for a 2022 Grammy and two 2021 CMA Awards for their chart-topping #1, Platinum-certified first official duet “Chasing After You.” A bonafide hitmaker, Maren’s quadruple Platinum single “The Bones” dominated 2020, catapulted into the Top 40 and topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 19 consecutive weeks, becoming the first solo female multi-week #1 at country radio since 2012. The single earned Maren Song of the Year and Female Artist of the Year at the 2021 ACM Awards, Female Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2020 CMA Awards, plus Female Artist of the year and Music Event of the Year at the 2020 ACM Awards and a 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Country Song.
Her 2019 sophomore album GIRL shattered the record for the largest ever debut streaming week for a country album by a woman and was named Album of the Year at the 2019 CMA Awards, where Maren was the most nominated artist. GIRL arrived three years after Maren’s breakout, Platinum-certified debut album HERO, for which she won a Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance, New Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2017 ACM Awards and New Artist of the Year at the 2016 CMA Awards. HERO features the much-lauded singles that launched Maren’s career into the stratosphere— the double Platinum “My Church,” Platinum “80s Mercedes” and “I Could Use A Love Song,” and Gold “Rich.” The genre-bending artist’s 2018 global smash hit collaboration “The Middle” with EDM DJ Zedd is officially six times Platinum-certified. We’re thrilled to welcome Maren Morris to the ACL stage.
Want to be part of our audience? We will post information on how to get free passes a week in advance of the taping. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for notice of postings. The broadcast episode will air early next year on PBS as part of our upcoming Season 48.
Please look for safety updates regarding entry to Austin City Limits tapings. Austin PBS will continue to monitor local COVID-19 trends and will meet or exceed protocols mandated by local governments.
Austin City Limits announces an all-star slate of guest performers for the 2022 ACL Hall of Fame Inductions & Celebration on October 27, 2022 celebrating a pair of American originals: superstar singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow and legendary Texas music pioneer Joe Ely. Music greats Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Mavis Staples, Brittney Spencer, Marcia Ball, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock will take part in saluting the newest class of inductees with one-of-a-kind music performances and tributes. The inductees will be honored at the star-studded ceremony on October 27th, 2022 at ACL’s studio home, ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. More information about presenters and additional guest stars will be announced prior to the event. Musical highlights and inductions from the celebration will air as a special Austin City Limits on January 7, 2023 on PBS.
The event is open to the public and a limited number of tickets are on sale at acltv.com/hall-of-fame. Sponsor packages are available now at acltv.com/hall-of-fame. All proceeds benefit Austin PBS.
An all-star line-up of special guests will salute the honorees on this epic night: Americana great and six-time Grammy Award recipient Brandi Carlile, celebrated songwriter Jason Isbell, living legend Mavis Staples and country breakout Brittney Spencer will perform in tribute to nine-time Grammy Award winner Sheryl Crow. Texas music legend Joe Ely will be honored by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright along with a musical salute from revered Lone Star musicians and Ely’s longtime collaborators in Texas supergroup The Flatlanders, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, along with blues legend and ACL Hall of Famer Marcia Ball. Inductees Sheryl Crow and Joe Ely will perform at the celebration. ACL Hall of Famer, renowned steel guitarist and producer Lloyd Maines, returns as Music Director, leading the ACL All-Stars house band featuring guitarist David Grissom, keyboardist Chris Gage, bassist Bill Whitbeck and drummer Tom Van Schaik.
The eighth class of inductees features two iconic acts: Celebrated singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow has made two classic hourlong appearances on ACL in her remarkable three-decade career, starting with her debut on Season 22 in 1997 and returning in 2004. She also co-hosted ACL’s 40th anniversary special in 2014, the same year the Hall of Fame was established. An icon of Texas music, Joe Ely has made 11 appearances on ACL: including as a headliner five times beginning with his 1980 ACL debut in Seasaon 5; also joining Los Super 7 in 1999, Texas supergroup The Flatlanders in 2002, and a Songwriters Special with Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt and Guy Clark in 2008. The influential artist has made guest appearances with multiple acts, including Kevin Welch in 1992, Ryan Bingham in 2009 and joined Steve Earle and the Dukes in 2019 for a tribute to Guy Clark.
Established in 2014, the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame celebrates the legacy of legendary artists and key individuals who have played a vital part in the pioneering music series remarkable nearly half-century as a music institution. The Hall of Fame has inducted over twenty artists at seven previous ceremonies including Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Lloyd Maines, Asleep at the Wheel, Loretta Lynn, Guy Clark, Flaco Jiménez, Townes Van Zandt, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, Rosanne Cash, The Neville Brothers, Ray Charles, Marcia Ball, Los Lobos, Lyle Lovett, Buddy Guy, Shawn Colvin. The seventh annual Hall of Fame in 2021 welcomed Lucinda Williams, Wilco and Alejandro Escovedo to its ranks.
Austin City Limits and the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame are produced by Austin PBS. Austin PBS is a non-profit organization providing public television and educational resources to Central Texas as well as producing quality national programming.
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 48th 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 Austin PBS 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 and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, Workrise, 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.
Parker McCollum on Austin City Limits, 2022. Photo by Scott Newton.
It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that Texas music is synonymous with singer/songwriters. Not only that, but a certain special breed of singers and tunesmiths, whose ears are wide open to different sounds and whose Lone Star roots are deeply embedded within their music. Raised in the East Texas town of Conroe and seasoned at Austin’s own Saxon Pub, Parker McCollum is the fastest rising country star in the new generation, with a major label contract, a best-selling album in Gold Chain Cowboy, a just-announced nomination for New Artist of the Year at this year’s upcoming Country Music Awards, and, now, his debut on Austin City Limits, which we live streamed around the world.
“It’s the first time I get to say it,” said the baseball-capped singer as he took his position at center stage. “What’s goin’ on, Austin City Limits?” He and his ace six-piece band then launched into the heartland rock of “Young Man’s Blues,” a cut from his 2020 Hollywood Gold EP that introduced McCollum to the wider world. The musicians wasted no time, going straight into the rocking but romantic “Wait Outside,” from his breakthrough Gold Chain Cowboy. “I don’t know how many bands started out at the Saxon and then did a live Austin City Limits taping, but we’re certainly one of ‘em,” remarked McCollum wryly before singing “Stoned,” a new song destined for the next record. Strumming his acoustic with swagger, McCollum led the band into the anthemic, celebratory “To Be Loved By You.” The singer then went back to his debut album The Limestone Kid for “Meet You in the Middle,” a frisky country rocker with spitfire guitar solos from Brady Beal and Alex Weeden.
“I hope the gratitude is just radiating off of us tonight,” McCollum smiled, acknowledging his family, introducing his band and singing the ballad “Like a Cowboy” with all the heart in his body. Then he introduced a just released single, the catchy “Handle On You,” which felt like an immediate audience favorite. The open-hearted McCollum mentioned how he had to delay the taping twice, first due to a broken finger and then illness, and he waited to be in top form to get this ACL moment right, and the singer aptly introduced the introspective folk rocker “Rest of My Life” to cheers from the crowd. The band launched into the brash rocker “Fallin’ Apart,” which McCollum noted was co-written by his producer Jon Randall and Miranda Lambert (both last seen on our stage in 2021 memorably debuting their The Marfa Tapes collaboration), along with fellow Texas songwriter Randy Rogers. After that blazer, it was only appropriate to go back to the honky-tonk for the brokenhearted boozer’s ballad “Drinkin’.” That tune segued directly into “Love You Like That,” a lighter-waver both uncertain and hopeful.
McCollum then monologued about the writing of the next song “Hell of a Year,” explaining how he choked up singing it during soundcheck when he remembered writing it in the drive-thru of an Austin Whataburger, finally feeling like he’d written a good song. He balanced the heart-on-sleeve poignancy of the tune by drolly noting that the song was written about 2017, but gained new resonance in 2020 – “It’s every songwriter’s dream, for a song to be relevant twice.” McCollum returned to the heartland for the widescreen rocker “Why Indiana,” and the already fired-up audience showed their love for the penultimate “Pretty Heart,” the double-platinum first single from Gold Chain Cowboy. McCollum once again expressed his gratitude to his family (many of whom were present in the audience) and to ACL before ending the show with the heartfelt power ballad “I Can’t Breathe,” once again to the crowd’s great delight. The band returned to the stage with “Happy New Year,” a tune from The Limestone Kid that represented not only where he came from but where he’s headed. The music ended, but McCollum didn’t leave the stage – he couldn’t, as he was surrounded by legions of fans and autograph seekers, who he was happy to indulge. It was a hell of a debut show, and we can’t wait for you to see it when it airs this fall on October 29 as part of our upcoming Season 48.
Parker McCollum tapes Austin City Limits for the first time, Sept. 7, 2022. Photos by Scott Newton.
Austin City Limits is thrilled to announce we will be live streaming the debut appearance of fast-rising Texas singer/songwriter Parker McCollum on Sept. 7 at 8 pm CT. ACL offers fans worldwide the unique opportunity to watch this taping here in its entirety on our ACLTV YouTube Channel. The broadcast episode will air this fall on PBS as part of our upcoming Season 48.
Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Parker McCollum released his highly-anticipated major label debut album, Gold Chain Cowboy, becoming the highest-charting first week debut album of 2021. The Jon Randall-produced album follows his Hollywood Gold EP which was met with widespread critical acclaim and became the top-selling debut Country EP of 2020. McCollum earned his first-ever No. 1 hit with Gold Chain Cowboy’s double platinum-selling premiere single, “Pretty Heart,” and his follow-up single “To Be Loved By You” also hit No. 1 on the charts. McCollum has been named an ‘Artist to Watch’ by Rolling Stone, Billboard, SiriusXM, CMT, RIAA, and more, with American Songwriter noting, “The Texas native teeters on the edge of next-level superstardom.” MusicRow listed McCollum as their 2021 Breakout Artist of the Year and Apple also included him as one of their all-genre “Up Next Artists” Class of 2021. A dedicated road warrior, McCollum made his debut at the famed Grand Ole Opry in 2021 and he regularly sells out venues across the country including record-breaking crowds in Dallas (20,000), The Woodlands (16,500), Austin (7500+), Lubbock (7700+), Jackson, MS (5000+), Kearney, NE (3000+), Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, and three nights at Fort Worth’s iconic Billy Bob’s Texas. Earlier this year McCollum made his debut at RODEOHOUSTON to a sold-out crowd with over 73,000 tickets sold. McCollum earned his first ACM award for New Male Artist of the Year in March 2022 in Las Vegas. McCollum also won his first CMT “Breakthrough Video of the Year” award, a fully fan-voted honor, in April 2022.
Join us hereSeptember 7 at 8 p.m. CT for Parker McCollum, and this fall on PBS for the broadcast premiere of Austin City Limits’ upcoming Season 48.
Lyle Lovett & His Large Band perform on Austin City Limits, Aug. 24, 2022. Photo by Scott Newton.
Guy Clark once sang, “Old friends – they shine like diamonds.” That feels appropriate as we welcomed back our pal, noted Guy Clark fan, and ACL frequent flyer Lyle Lovett to our stage for a headliner show for the first time in a dozen years. (In fact, the last time Lovett did his own taping was the final show in our original home in Studio 6A in 2010.) So the show felt like a reunion, not only for us, but for the devoted fans that packed ACL Live at the Moody Theater. The Texas hero was here to support his latest album 12th of June, of course, and pulled from it generously. But the show was as much a homecoming as a showcase.
The lights on stage went down, before pianist Jim Cox and violinist Luke Bulla played the bandleader onstage for the lovely old-school ballad “Are We Dancing.” Lovett then quit the stage and the band swung into “Cookin’ at the Continental,” the classic jazz tune from the pen of piano great Horace Silver that throws a spotlight on every member of the twelve-piece Large Band. Lovett and his four singers (including longtime compatriot Francine Reed) returned for “Pants is Overrated,” a prime slice of the songwriter’s wry humor. After noting how glad he was to return to the ACL stage, Lovett told the story of meeting Francine Reed, who’s sung with him since the mid-eighties. Reed announced her retirement from the road this year, but not before she joined the Large Band for this performance. She and Lovett sang two duets drawn from the repertoire of jazz vocal great Nat King Cole and recorded on 12th of June: “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You,” the latter of which featured Lovett taking Reed for a brief spin on the dance floor.
Lovett talked about his time on the show, reminiscing about how he used to come to tapings long before he ever performed himself. He segued into introducing the core members of the Large Band, many of whom he’s played with for thirty-plus years, before playing the country waltz “Her Loving Man.” After bemusedly describing his early years being mislabeled a folk singer, introducing his friends in the audience, Lovett claimed the next song as a commemoration of a successful co-headlining tour with singer/songwriter Chris Isaak – who walked out onstage midway through the wry “Mirrored Man’s Lament” to sing along, to the surprise and delight of the crowd. Of course, you can’t invite the sparkle-jacketed rocker onstage and not sing a Roy Orbison song, and that was “Dream Baby,” the song they performed together every night during the tour. Following one quick (and, sadly, temporary) jacket exchange, Isaak left and Lovett sang the melancholy ballad “The Mocking Ones.”
Prefaced by a story about his family’s history and traditions, Lovett paid tribute to his wife and children with the beautiful title track to 12th of June. He continued the nods to family with “Pig Meat Man,” a bluesy stroll through his son’s love of bacon that featured some sizzling improvisations from University of North Texas saxophone professor Brad Leeli. The Large Band ended the first set with the barrelhouse piano-led “On a Winter’s Morning,” the same song that concludes 12th of June. Following a short period of rest, Lovett and the band returned for a hearty five-song encore, starting with Lovett and Isaak sharing an impromptu duet on the Delmore Brothers’ “Blues Stay Away From Me” with trombonist Charles Rose. The blues feel continued with “My Baby Don’t Tolerate,” with round-robin solos from guitarist James Harrah, steel player Buck Reid, guitarist Dean Parks and drummer Russ Kunkel.
The fan favorites continued with “I’ve Been to Memphis,” the rollicking opener to Lovett’s classic Joshua Judges Ruth that spotlighted bassist Leland Sklar, fiddler Luke Bulla, pianist Jim Cox, acoustic guitarist Jeff White, singers Reid, Willie Greene, Jr., Lamont Van Hook and Jason Eskridge, the four-piece horn section of Lesli, Rose, trumpeter Steve Hermann and saxophonist Mace Hibbard and stalwart cellist John Hagen, with whom Lovett began playing in 1979. Lovett enthused about his old friend’s history before telling him, “Let’s play one we’ve played many times.” That was “If I Had a Boat” from Lovett’s second album Pontiac, a Lovett standard and a crowd favorite. There was only one way to follow that and end the evening, and that was with “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas),” Lovett’s lively and beloved homage to his home state. The audience went justifiably wild as the Large Band played their leader off with a burst of “Here I Am.” It was a great show and a proper homecoming, and we can’t wait for you to see it when it airs this fall on your local PBS station.
Photo by Scott Newton. Photo by Scott Newton. Photo by Scott Newton.Photo by Scott Newton.Photo by Scott Newton.Photo by Scott Newton.Photo by Scott Newton.Photo by Scott Newton.Photo by Scott Newton.
