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Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News

Episode recap: Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne, Austin City Limits 2021. Photo by Scott Newton.

Austin City Limits is proud to present a season highlight: the return of Jackson Browne for the first time in nearly 20 years. The singer-songwriter showcases a chart-topping new collection, Downhill From Everywhere, alongside highlights from his five decade career in an exquisite hour premiering November 13 at 9pm ET/8pm CT as part of the series Season 47. Despite the challenges facing live music during the past year, ACL is thrilled to deliver a new season of performances for viewers, all recorded at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas in 2021, in front of limited live audiences. The program continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for a remarkable 47 years. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast.  

“It’s like Valhalla for us, getting to play Austin City Limits,” says Jackson Browne in his first appearance on the ACL stage since 2002. Backed by an ace eight-piece band, Browne delivers a career-spanning set including time-worn favorites and more recent gems from the acclaimed Downhill From Everywhere, his fifteenth studio album. A Rock Hall inductee, Browne is an archetype of the singer-songwriter, Americana genre, and started blazing a trail in the 1970s with his personal, introspective lyrics. He opens the hour with the searching “I’m Alive,” a mid-career highlight about moving on from past sorrows. Browne showcases new material tailor-made for these times, including the roots rocker “My Cleveland Heart,” about trading in a fragile human heart for a resilient, artificial replacement (gamely introducing it as a “cheerful song”). The veteran social justice advocate performs “The Dreamer” a powerful bilingual song that eloquently addresses the struggles facing a generation of children of immigrants. Browne duets with singer-songwriter Leslie Mendelson for the stunning collaboration “A Human Touch” and brings backing vocalist Chavonne Stewart out for the folk-rocker social commentary “The Long Way Around.” He dazzles with early-career classics including the radio staple “Doctor My Eyes” and “These Days,” written when Browne was just sixteen-years-old. 

“You wanna sing this one?” calls out Browne before closing with a pair of songs from 1973’s For Everyman: fan favorite “Take It Easy,” the Eagles 1972 smash that he co-wrote with Glenn Frey, poignantly calling for the crowd to “Sing it so Glenn Frey can hear you!” Browne allows the entire band to shine, segueing seamlessly into the wistful “Our Lady of the Well,” with round robin solos all-around for an unforgettable close.

Jackson Browne on ACL, 2021. Photo by Scott Newton.

“In so many ways, Jackson Browne epitomizes the return of live music in the post-pandemic 21st century,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “He’s a bridge to the best music of the last 40 years, but his new songs are spot-on relevant to the world we live in today. There aren’t that many artists who can pull that off.”

Jackson Browne setlist:

I’m Alive

The Long Way Around

My Cleveland Heart

The Dreamer

These Days

A Human Touch

Doctor My Eyes

Late For the Sky

Take It Easy/Our Lady of the Well

Season 47 Broadcast Line-up (second half of season to be announced shortly):

October 2 Miranda Lambert with Jack Ingram & Jon Randall

October 9 Jade Bird / Dayglow

October 16 Jon Batiste

October 23 Sarah Jarosz / Billy Strings

October 30 Brandy Clark / Charley Crockett

November 6 Leon Bridges / Khruangbin

November 13 Jackson Browne

November 20 Brittany Howard

Watch live, stream anytime, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. The complete line-up for the full 13-week season, including five new episodes to air beginning January 2022, will be announced shortly.  Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding 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.

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 47th 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.

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Featured Live Stream News Taping Announcement Uncategorized

Taping and live stream announcement: Terry Allen

photo by Barbara FG

Austin City Limits is proud to announce our final taping of Season 47, with a Texas legend making his highly-anticipated return to the ACL stage: maverick singer/songwriter Terry Allen returns for his first headline taping in over two decades on December 1. He will be joined by his longtime group the Panhandle Mystery Band—featuring Lloyd Maines, Charlie Sexton, Richard Bowden, Shannon McNally, Davis McLarty and sons Bukka and Bale Allen. The taping will also be live streamed, as ACL offers fans worldwide a unique opportunity to watch the taping live in its entirety at 8pm CT/ 9pm ET at this location. ACL’s public ticket giveaway, which had been suspended throughout Season 47 due to Covid restrictions, will resume with this taping and we are thrilled to welcome back the general public.

Iconic and iconoclastic Texan songwriter and visual artist Terry Allen returns to the ACL stage to showcase his highly lauded 2020 album Just Like Moby Dick. Raised in Lubbock, Texas, the cult favorite continues the remarkable artistic trajectory he began almost fifty years ago with influential classics including his cinematic debut Juarez (1975) and his 1979 masterstroke Lubbock (on everything). Just Like Moby Dick has earned widespread acclaim: “A remarkable late-career high point” (Austin American-Statesman); “One of outlaw country’s strongest and oddest talents” (Uncut); “…takes you on a journey through the brilliant mind of this ‘master lyricist’” (New York Times). Casting his net wide for wild stories, Just Like Moby Dick features, among many other things, Houdini in existential crisis, the death of the last stripper in town, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mudslides and burning mobile homes, and all manner of tragicomic disasters, abandonments, betrayals, bad memories, failures, and fare-thee-wells. Alongside his iconic musicianship, Allen also is an accomplished, “flat-out inspiring” (LA Times) visual artist whose work has been shown throughout the United States and internationally, and is represented in major private and public collections. His work will be the subject of the upcoming exhibition MemWars at Austin’s Blanton Museum of Art beginning December 18 through July 2021. The New York Times notes, “There is just one person whose art has been seen in highbrow museums around the country and is an inductee of the Buddy Holly Walk of Fame in Lubbock. He is Terry Allen.” Allen is the subject of the recent documentary concert film, Scott Ballew’s Everything for All Reasons, featuring frequent collaborators including David Byrne, Kiki Smith, Joe Ely and Allen’s wife, actress writer Jo Harvey Allen.  Allen has also collaborated with Guy Clark, Butch Hancock, Dave Alvin and Lucinda Williams, and his haunting and hilarious songs have been covered and championed by the likes of Bobby Bare, Ryan Bingham, Richard Buckner, Jason Isbell, Little Feat, Sturgill Simpson, and Kurt Vile.

Want to be part of our audience? We will post information on how to get free passes on November 22 at 10 a.m. CT. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for notice of postings. The broadcast episode will air in early 2022 on PBS as part of our Season 47.

Austin PBS has adopted updated health & safety protocols for those in attendance at tapings until further notice, including the requirement of avnegative COVID test or proof of vaccination for entry. As public health conditions for live entertainment change, ACL will remain flexible and adapt to applicable health protocols. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we continue to respond to ever-changing conditions. Our top priority is bringing y’all great music and keeping everyone who attends ACL tapings safe. 

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Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News Uncategorized

Episode recap: Leon Bridges/Khruangbin

Leon Bridges, Austin City Limits, Season 47. Photo by Scott Newton.

Austin City Limits showcases a pair of world-class acts that hail from Texas, Leon Bridges and Khruangbin, in a new hour-long installment premiering November 6 @9pm ET/8pm CT as part of the series Season 47. Grammy-winning Fort Worth R&B artist and songwriter Leon Bridges makes his second ACL appearance with highlights from his latest, Gold-Diggers Sound, and Houston eclectic groove trio Khruangbin make their ACL debut with standouts from their global sensation Mordechai. Despite the challenges facing live music during the past year, ACL is proud to deliver a new season of performances for viewers, all recorded at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas in 2021, in front of limited live audiences. The program continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for a remarkable 47 years. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast.  

“It’s an honor to bring Gold-Diggers Sound to Austin, Texas tonight,” hails Leon Bridges. The Fort Worth native returns to the ACL stage for the first time since his 2016 debut, showcasing his third album in six years, the acclaimed Gold-Diggers Sound, named after the East Hollywood studio where it was written and recorded. One of music’s most sought-after collaborators, Bridges has captured the world’s attention with his golden vocals and intimate songwriting, and the dynamic star returns to his home state to deliver a suite of songs from his recent collection backed by an ace seven-piece band. “Make some noise if you missed live music,” says Bridges. “I know I did.” A set highlight is the powerful anti-racism anthem “Sweeter,” released in the wake of George Floyd’s death. He closes out a magnetic set with a scorcher, the timely “Bad Bad News” from 2018’s Good Thing. 

Khruangbin, Austin City Limits, Season 47. Photo by Scott Newton.

The atmospheric Texan trio Khruangbin leads viewers on a spellbinding sonic journey in their ACL debut. The eclectic Houston act consisting of bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, guitarist Mark Speer and drummer Donald ‘DJ’ Johnson Jr. has generated a worldwide audience for their transportive sound that features a globally sourced sampler of psych and funk influences mixed with intoxicating grooves. The band opens with gems from their 2015 debut The Universe Smiles Upon You including “People Everywhere,” a song that highlights the stark contrast between Lee’s shimmering stage strut and Speer and Johnson Jr.’s laidback stoicism. “Still alive,” Lee repeats into the mic as an affirmation, adding the sly aside “after 2020.” Khruangbin visits their 2018 breakthrough LP Con Todo El Mundo for “Friday Morning,” an acid soul ballad that shifts from close harmony vocals to an epic guitar solo. They touch down with “First Class” from their widely-acclaimed Mordechai, an album that celebrates the city that raised them, Houston, one of the most diverse in the nation, a cultural nexus, and the hometown the band members fondly credit for their expansive sonic palette.

“This is Leon Bridges like you’ve never seen or heard him before,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “His new music is an immersive experience – both for him and the rest of us. Likewise, Khruangbin immerses themselves in musical rhythms and genres from around the globe, adding vocals for the first time. A must-see hour!”  

Leon Bridges

STEAM

BORN AGAIN 

MOTORBIKE

BLUE MESAS

SWEETER

BAD BAD NEWS

Khruangbin

PEOPLE EVERYWHERE (STILL ALIVE)

WHITE GLOVES

FRIDAY MORNING

FIRST CLASS 

Season 47 Broadcast Line-up (second half of season to be announced separately):

October 2 Miranda Lambert with Jack Ingram & Jon Randall

October 9 Jade Bird / Dayglow

October 16 Jon Batiste

October 23 Sarah Jarosz / Billy Strings

October 30 Brandy Clark / Charley Crockett

November 6 Leon Bridges / Khruangbin

November 13 Jackson Browne

November 20 Brittany Howard

Watch live, stream anytime, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. The complete line-up for the full 13-week season, including five new episodes to air beginning January 2022, 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 and IG. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

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 47th 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.

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Featured Hall of Fame News Taping Recap Uncategorized

Taping recap: ACL 7th Annual Hall of Fame Honors

Photo courtesy Austin City Limits.

Following last year’s pandemic-related pre-emption, we were beyond thrilled for the return of our biggest event/party of the season: the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame Inductions & Celebration Presented by PNC Bank. We were proud to induct three longtime ACL favorites, all trailblazing artists who have all appeared on the show multiple times: renowned alt-country band Wilco, Austin rock icon Alejandro Escovedo, and the truly legendary singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams. Joined by a diverse and impressive line-up of musicians paying tribute to these fantastic figures, we had a grand time celebrating some of our favorite performers on our favorite night of the year. We were also excited to announce the formal unveiling of PNC Plaza at ACL Live as part of the ceremony. Our new partner PNC Bank has made a five-year commitment as the Official Bank of Austin City Limits.

Alejandro Escovedo. Photo courtesy Austin City Limits.

Following welcomes from Austin PBS acting CEO Lori Bolding and ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, it was time to induct the first honoree: Austin’s own Alejandro Escovedo. Legendary rock writer, producer and longtime Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye did the honors. Kaye spoke of his long friendship with Escovedo, and what makes his eclectic, expansive body of work important not only to the industry, but to the world. Escovedo accepted his award in a stunning, sparkling lime-green jacket, and spoke of the influence of his wife Nancy Rankin, his Mexican family, especially his older brother, jazz great Pete Escovedo, and of his journey through music, as well as his gratitude to ACL for giving a platform to showcase his musical theater piece By the Hand of the Father in 2002. Joined by his niece, the incomparable Sheila E., behind the drum kit of the Austin All-Stars Band and his veteran backing singers and string section, Escovedo opened the music salute with “Algo Azul,” a song from his most recent album The Crossing, bringing out Alex Ruiz, frontman for Austin Latin-rock band Del Castillo and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez’s band Chingon, for an all-Spanish version of the song La Cruzada. Escovedo then welcomed another old pal, John Doe, co-founder of legendary Los Angeles punk band X, to sing the rocking story song “Sally Was a Cop,” from the 2012 album Big Station, amplified by a burning solo from house band leader Lloyd Maines on pedal steel. Escovedo finished his victory lap with a titanic take on “Put You Down,” his 1996 rock anthem with which he opened his 2006 ACL appearance. Guitars raged, the string section seared, and the audience response was deafening. 

Lucinda Williams with Rosanne Cash. Photo courtesy Austin City Limits.

The only way to follow that was by inducting another icon, which meant it was time to honor the singer/songwriter all other singer/songwriters bow down to: Lucinda Williams. One of her best-known disciples, Jason Isbell, inducted her into the HOF, explaining how Williams made a map for other songwriters, including himself, to follow. “This will fit real nicely next to my Grammys,” she commented wryly as she accepted her award. She praised Austin for helping give her her start, as well as Terry Lickona and the ACL staff. Isbell then took the stage to sing Williams’ beautiful “I Envy the Wind,” from her Grammy-nominated 2002 LP Essence. Williams joined her friend Rosanne Cash onstage to perform a moving version of the beguiling New Orleans tribute “Crescent City” from the Louisiana native’s groundbreaking 1988 self-titled LP, capped by a standing ovation from the crowd. Country rock star Margo Price joined Williams, presenting her hero with flowers and a heartfelt thanks for the example she sets. Along with the All-Stars, Price and Williams tore into “Changed the Locks,” the withering blues rocker also from 1988’s Lucinda Williams. After the two singers-in-arms left the stage, steel guitarist and house bandleader Lloyd Maines – the first musician to be inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame – introduced the ace ACL All-Stars Band: guitarist David Grissom, bassist Bill Whitbeck, drummer Tom Van Schiak and keyboardist Chris Gage. 

Wilco. Photo courtesy Austin City Limits.

Following an intermission, it was time to induct Wilco. Rosanne Cash welcomed her friends into the Hall with a speech touching on their “musical alchemy that’s just the thing if you want to spark a revolution in your audience.” Her words earned her hugs from all six members (leader Jeff Tweedy, bassist John Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, keyboardists Pat Sansone and Mikael Jorgenson, drummer Glenn Kotche), while Tweedy gave a speech thanking not only ACL but all the bands that gave them inspiration along the way. Wilco then picked up their instruments to do what they do best, opening their segment with Summerteeth’s rocking “A Shot in the Arm.” The band exited the stage with the exception of guitarist Nels Cline remaining to accompany their friend Bill Callahan on lap steel. The low-fi great sang “Sky Blue Sky” in his deep baritone, with Cline coloring the proceedings with keening steel lines. Legendary Texas singer/songwriter Terry Allen took the stage solo, for a stately piano performance of “One Sunday Morning.” Wilco returned to the stage joined by Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner, along with Lloyd Maines (who played on Wilco’s 1995 debut A.M.) for “Jesus, Etc.,” the pop charmer from 2002’s landmark Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

“We’d like to invite everybody back on the stage,” said Tweedy, bringing the all-star cast out for a stellar reading of “California Stars.” Escovedo, Cash, Isbell, Allen, Sheila E., Price, Callahan, Kaye, Zauner, Doe, Maines, and the string players joined in on Wilco’s early career highlight for a powerhouse closer. It was a great way to end the show, and stay tuned for highlights on Austin City Limits 7th Annual Hall of Fame Honors when it airs January 8 on PBS.

ACL 7th Annual Hall of Fame Honors. Photos courtesy Austin City Limits.
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Featured New Broadcast News Taping Recap

Episode recap: Brandy Clark and Charley Crockett

photo by Scott Newton

Austin City Limits spotlights a pair of country’s finest: Brandy Clark and Charley Crockett in a new installment premiering October 30 at 9pm ET/8pm CT as part of the series Season 47. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Brandy Clark performs songs from her Grammy-nominated album Your Life is a Record and breakout troubadour Charley Crockett delivers an entertaining set with country & western songs from his latest Music City USA. Despite the challenges facing live music during the past year, ACL is proud to deliver a new season of performances for viewers, all recorded at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas in 2021, in front of limited live audiences. The program continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for a remarkable 47 years. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast. 

An eight-time Grammy nominee, CMA and GLAAD Media Award-winner, Brandy Clark is one of her generation’s most respected and celebrated songwriters and musicians. The Nashville-based tunesmith has written smashes for Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, and others, as well as scoring her own string of hits. She’s been called “one of the greatest short-story-songwriters in country” and showcases her gift for capturing characters’ interior lives in her ACL debut. Performing gems from Your Life is a Record, Clark opens with the Grammy-nominated stunner “Who You Thought I Was.” A set highlight is “Remember Me Beautiful,” a powerful elegy to those lost, and a song that has especially resonated with audiences worldwide during the pandemic. Clark closes out her magnetic set with a pair of fan favorites from her 2014 debut album 12 Stories, the buoyant “Get High” and the stately “Hold My Hand,” demonstrating her remarkable range.

“I’m Charley Crockett…Charley with an ‘ey’ like Charley Pride and Crockett with two t’s like Davey,” announces the charismatic singer-songwriter in a luminous ACL debut. Hailing from the Texas bordertown of San Benito, the rising star is earning raves for his live shows and singular style that combines Western swing, swirling Tex-Mex, roadhouse boogies, Cajun and country blues. The prolific Crockett, a recent nominee for Emerging Act of the Year at the 2021 Americana Music Awards, performs his brand of “Gulf & Western” music in an irresistible set filled with highlights from his repertoire and his recent album Music City USA. Crockett opens with the throwback shuffler “Goin’ Back to Texas” accompanied by his band the Blue Drifters on shimmering keyboards, trumpet, pedal steel, standup bass and scorching guitar. The Lone Star native performs “In the Corner” from his recent tribute album to the late Texas honky-tonker James Hand alongside his own two-steppin’ classic “Welcome to Hard Times.“ Willie Nelson said it best,” says Crockett, “this one’s about the wrong side of the Mississippi” before launching into the title track Music City USA. “It’s been an honor to serve you tonight,” says Crockett as he and his band of Drifters ride out with the freight-train rhythm of “Paint It Blue.” 

“Austin City Limits has always been a home to the Country music outlaws, rule-breakers, and gender and genre-benders,’ said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Brandy and Charley live up to that tradition. They’re both storytellers with an edge.”

Brandy Clark

WHO YOU THOUGHT I WAS

PAWN SHOP

LOVE IS A FIRE

REMEMBER ME BEAUTIFUL

GET HIGH

HOLD MY HAND

Charley Crockett

GOIN’ BACK TO TEXAS

IN THE CORNER

WELCOME TO HARD TIMES

LEAD ME ON

MUSIC CITY USA

IN THE NIGHT

THE VALLEY

PAINT IT BLUE

Season 47 Broadcast Line-up (second half of season to be announced separately):

October 2 Miranda Lambert with Jack Ingram & Jon Randall

October 9 Jade Bird / Dayglow

October 16 Jon Batiste

October 23 Sarah Jarosz / Billy Strings

October 30 Brandy Clark / Charley Crockett

November 6 Leon Bridges / Khruangbin

November 13 Jackson Browne

November 20 Brittany Howard

Watch live, stream anytime, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. The complete line-up for the full 13-week season, including five new episodes to air beginning January 2022, 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 and IG. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

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 47th 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.

Categories
Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News

Episode recap: Sarah Jarosz/Billy Strings

photo by Scott Newton

Austin City Limits is proud to showcase a pair of American originals: Sarah Jarosz and Billy Strings in a new installment premiering October 23 at 9pm ET/ 8pm CT as part of the series new Season 47. The roots music stars share a spell-binding hour that forecasts the genre’s future: Sarah Jarosz makes her third appearance on the ACL stage with selections from World On the Ground, the 2021 GRAMMY-winner for Best Americana Album; while fan favorite Billy Strings delivers an electrifying set with songs from Home, his 2021 GRAMMY Award-winning Best Bluegrass Album and debuts new numbers from his latest release, Renewal. Despite the challenges facing live music during the past year, ACL is proud to deliver a new season of performances for viewers, all recorded at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas in 2021, in front of limited live audiences. The program continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for a remarkable 47 years. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast.  

Sarah Jarosz makes her third appearance on the ACL stage with highlights from her acclaimed World on the Ground, a collection of songs inspired by her formative years growing up in Central Texas.  The singer, songwriter and gifted multi-instrumentalist made her ACL debut in 2010 at the age of 19, and she returns as a four-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist. “I would say this is a good way to re-emerge into the world after the last year,” notes Jarosz. Accompanied by renowned producer/musician John Leventhal, who produced World on the Ground, Jarosz delivers the bittersweet “Hometown,” a gorgeous reflection on home and the 2021 GRAMMY-nominee for Best American Roots Song. She delivers a luminous set, acknowledging the emotional resonance of returning to her home state to perform the Texas-based songs. Jarosz displays her extraordinary range, with a sparkling solo rendition of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” turning the rock anthem into a soulful folk song, amplified by her skillful mandolin playing.

photo by Scott Newton

Billy Strings makes his ACL debut holding bluegrass music’s hottest hand, with a newly-minted 2021 GRAMMY Award and the reigning Entertainer of the Year and Guitar Player of the Year from the International Bluegrass Music Association. The Michigan-born musician, now based in Nashville, is the genre’s new superstar, taking a progressive approach to string music, folding in influences from rock, jazz and psychedelia. Strings sings of modern American woes, and opens the breathtaking set with his early career breakout, 2013’s “Dust in a Baggie,” the parable of a meth addict who heeds warnings too late. The exuberant 29-year-old flatpicking virtuoso and his band of aces deliver highlights from the 2021 GRAMMY-winning breakthrough Home and new songs from his latest Renewal, showcasing the dazzling dexterity and boundary-pushing artistry that has earned him legions of fans.

“Sarah Jarosz and Billy Strings represent the past, present and future of American roots music, and no one else even comes close,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Billy is setting the bluegrass world on fire, and beyond. Meanwhile, in her own quiet and personal way, Sarah continues to expand the horizons of Americana music.”

Sarah Jarosz setlist:

PAY IT NO MIND

HOMETOWN

JOHNNY

MAGGIE

WHAT DO I DO

STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR

I’LL BE GONE

Billy Strings setlist:

DUST IN A BAGGIE

MUST BE SEVEN

RED DAISY

LOVE LIKE ME

AWAY FROM THE MIRE

Season 47 Broadcast Line-up (second half of season to be announced separately):

October 2 Miranda Lambert with Jack Ingram & Jon Randall

October 9 Jade Bird / Dayglow

October 16 Jon Batiste

October 23 Sarah Jarosz / Billy Strings

October 30 Brandy Clark / Charley Crockett

November 6 Leon Bridges / Khruangbin

November 13 Jackson Browne

November 20 Brittany Howard

Watch live, stream anytime, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. The complete line-up for the full 13-week season, including five new episodes to air beginning January 2022, 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 and IG. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

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 47th 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.