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Taping Recap

Don Henley takes us to Cass County

It’s not everyday we get to witness a superstar artist explore his musical roots. But that’s what Don Henley did during his debut appearance on Austin City Limits. For his forthcoming solo album Cass County, co-produced by Stan Lynch, out on Sept. 25 and his first in 15 years, the erstwhile Eagles co-founder explores a genre with which he has more than a passing familiarity: country music. Inspired by the sounds he heard growing up in Linden, Texas, Henley, his band and some very special guests showcased many of the songs from his new album, debuting them on our ACL stage for the first time anywhere.

But first he dipped briefly back into the past, opening with the rock radio classic “Dirty Laundry,” getting the audience immediately engaged. He then segued into the first of his new songs, the country rockin’ political broadside “No, Thank You.” Henley followed by welcoming his first guest – acclaimed country singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe, last seen on our stage with Miranda Lambert’s Pistol Annies – she sang beautifully on the Louvin Brothers’ ballad “When I Stop Dreaming.” Outlaw country revivalist Jamey Johnson appeared next on the thoughtful “The Cost Of Living,” after which he and Henley were rejoined by Monroe for Tift Merritt’s poignant waltz “Bramble Rose.” Henley then returned to his back catalog, for a relaxed, crowd-pleasing take on his huge hit “The End Of The Innocence,” with Erica Swindell’s liquid fiddle subbing for the original’s sonorous sax.

Henley reached back a few decades to his very first solo release I Can’t Stand Still with the somber “Talking to the Moon,” co-written with Amarillo native J.D. Souther. Back in Cass County, he welcomed country star and Season 24 ACL vet Martina McBride to the stage for the anthemic heartland rocker “That Old Flame.” “Train In The Distance” brought the volume back down with its folky autobiography, before Henley flipped through his back pages once again with the stately “The Heart Of The Matter,” an audience favorite.

Nashville siren and ACL three-timer Trisha Yearwood then hit the stage for a pair of showcases: the romantic duet  “Words Can Break Your Heart” and the harmony rocker “Where I Am Now.” The lush breakup tune “Take A Picture Of This” added a spot of bitter defiance, before Henley brought on his final guests of the evening: sisters Emily Robison Strayer and Martie Maguire of Dixie Chicks and Court Yard Hounds. The pair added their banjo, fiddle and dulcet harmonies to “She Sang Hymns Out Of Tune,” a cover of the mystical Jesse Lee Kincaid waltz made famous in the 60s by Harry Nilsson and the Dillards.

Along with a pair of hammer dulcimers, all of the evening’s guests joined Henley for the environmentally conscious plea “Praying For Rain,” another new song that garnered a particularly enthusiastic reception. Dulcimer masters Dana Hamilton and Bonnie Carol brought down the rain as the star, guests and band left the stage.  

But it wasn’t quite over yet, as Henley launched into “The Boys Of Summer,” perhaps his best-known and loved hit, then invited Monroe back for “When I Stop Dreaming.” Thus ended a remarkable show full of new classics and old favorites. We can’t wait for you to see it when it airs on October 24th as part of our upcoming Season 41 on your local PBS station.

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Episode Recap Featured News

Don Henley joins ACL Season 41

Capitol recording artist Don Henley makes his first-ever appearance on Austin City Limits showcasing Cass County, Henley’s first solo release in fifteen years and first No. 1 album of his 33-year solo career.  The iconic singer-songwriter and founding member of the Eagles performs a mix of solo hits and future classics in a special hour, joined by many of the all-star guest vocalists featured on this acclaimed record.   

Named for the East Texas region where Henley grew up, the country-leaning Cass County debuted at No. 1 on both Billboard’s top albums and country albums charts and features new originals written by the music superstar and longtime collaborators Stan Lynch and Steuart Smith.  Rolling Stone raves in a four-star review, “Henley has made an album of quietly defiant pure-country modernism…Everything in the music serves the sting and solace in the tales.”  USA Today notes, “the emotional but unsentimental album draws on the music and the land of Henley’s youth, but it doesn’t dwell there.”

Henley opens the masterful eleven-song ACL set with the radio classic “Dirty Laundry,” before taking viewers on a journey through Cass County, a musical return to his roots.  He shines in an immaculate performance filled with highlights and duet partners featuring a parade of special guests: breakout country star Ashley Monroe, chart-toppers Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood, country rebel Jamey Johnson and sisters Emily Robison Strayer and Martie Maguire of Dixie Chicks and Court Yard Hounds fame.  Henley makes a few detours to perform select fan-favorites including “The Heart Of The Matter” before the entire cast returns to the ACL stage  for the powerfully evocative new ballad, “Praying for Rain”.  Familiar opening chords signal his smash “The Boys of Summer” as Henley and his band launch into the signature tune for a sublime set-closer.  

“Don Henley has been on my wish list for 40 years, and I always knew he would come when he was ready,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona.  “He’s one of the best songwriters of his generation, and these new songs are some of the best he’s ever written. He’s at the top of his game right now, and it’s an honor to have him showcase his new songs and classics on the ACL stage.
Tune in this weekend for this episode, and, as always, check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time in your area. Go to the episode page for more info, and don’t forget to click over to our Facebook, Twitter and newsletter pages for more ACL info. Tune in next week for the return of Gary Clark Jr. and the ACL debut of Courtney Barnett.

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Featured News

Doc Watson R.I.P.

Austin City Limits was saddened to learn last night of the passing of the great Doc Watson. Fluent in so many musical languages – folk, blues, country, bluegrass, rockabilly, gospel – the legendary singer/guitarist had an almost incalculable influence on American music. His work  affected,  in some way, everyone who ever picked up a guitar and dug deep into this country’s musical heritage.

Watson graced the ACL stage only once, in Season 3, though he was also one of the many artists to appear in the special ACL Presents: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. The wayfaring pilgrim has found his way home at last, and we mourn the loss of a musical titan. May he rest in peace.

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Featured News

Dick Peterson 1943-2018

We here at Austin City Limits are deeply saddened to report the death of former ACL executive producer Dick Peterson.

An Austin native, Dick started working for KLRU-TV after college in the mid-sixties, back when it was still KLRN and a shared station with San Antonio. Following a stint in the Air Force, he returned to public television via WQED, the home station for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, before moving on to KUHT in Houston and KAET in Phoenix. Dick then moved on to the Mecca of television production: Hollywood. While there, he worked as an editor for sitcoms The Bob Newhart Show, Maude (whose star Bea Arthur called Dick “a peach”) and the short-lived Maggie Briggs, whose headliner, Suzanne Pleshette, called Dick her favorite editor.

Dick returned to KLRU in 1984 to take over as vice president of production. In that role he brought the skills and professionalism he learned while in Hollywood, applying those same standards to local productions, including Austin City Limits. He also brought a mastery of stretching budgets, knowing how to get the most out of limited funds – a not inconsiderable skill in the waxing and waning fortunes of public broadcasting. When he became executive producer of Austin City Limits in 2000, he was able to adhere to the production values for which ACL had become known during years lean and fertile. Never a fan of the spotlight, Dick stayed resolutely behind the scenes, rarely, if ever, taking credit for the work he did for the show.

Dick retired from KLRU in 2009. “Dick did many great things for KLRU and for Austin City Limits,” says KLRU Vice President of Programming Maria Rodriguez, who worked with Dick for three decades. “And he loved working with people. Dick will be greatly missed.” ACL producer Jeff Peterson adds, “No one cared more about KLRU and ACL.”

Current executive producer Terry Lickona calls Dick “one of the most important and unforgettable people in KLRU history. During my time as producer of ACL, I worked with him for over two decades when he was VP Production, then executive producer. He stayed out of the spotlight (mostly in the back of the room during a taping), but his larger-than-life presence was felt by everyone, from volunteer to senior management. But most of all I remember that smile (slightly embarrassed – he hated having his photo taken!) and laugh.”

“Some of my best years have been spent at KLRU with a great group of experienced, creative, dedicated friends that are the best in the country,” Dick once said while reflecting on a near-50 year career in television. “I am one lucky dude.”

Dick was a true believer in public television as an idea, a means of communication and a standard by which to tell stories, and he believed in Austin City Limits as a way to convey those values. It’s why, in the last years of his career, he’d taken to signing off his correspondence with a simple but elegant phrase that encapsulated his belief: keep the faith. We will, Dick. Thanks for your guidance.

Dick was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2016. His time with and importance to the show was captured in the video below, produced for the induction ceremony.

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Featured News

Denny Freeman 1944-2021

Austin-based guitarist, keyboardist and songwriter Denny Freeman passed away Sunday, April 25th, from cancer at the age of 76. Freeman was an integral part of Austin’s seminal blues scene, coming up alongside the Vaughan Brothers, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and more. 

After growing up in the Dallas area, he landed in Austin in 1970, where he became a staple on the town’s blues stages and played with many ACL favorites. He shared lead guitar duties with Stevie Ray Vaughan in the Cobras, founded Southern Feeling with ATX blues mentor W.C. Clark and Angela Strehli, and became a member of the Antone’s house band, backing the likes of Buddy Guy, Albert Collins and Lazy Lester. He worked closely with Austin blues siren Lou Ann Barton, and recorded and toured with Jimmie Vaughan. After moving to Los Angeles in the early 90s, he became a mainstay in Taj Mahal’s touring band. 

Before moving back to Austin in 2011, Freeman landed his most high-profile gig yet as lead guitarist for Bob Dylan. His five-year tenure in Dylan’s Never-Ending Tour band included a headlining spot at the Austin City Limits Music Festival and the recording of the singer/songwriter’s acclaimed LP Modern Times. He also made records with soul singer Percy Sledge, Stevie Ray Vaughan co-writer Doyle Bramhall, and L.A. scene keyboard veteran Barry Goldberg. Along the way he released six mostly instrumental solo records of his own. 

As a key member of Austin’s blues mafia, Freeman appeared on Austin City Limits three times: in Season 15 with W.C. Clark, in Season 20 with Jimmie Vaughan, and in Season 26 with Double Trouble and Friends. Here’s Freeman in 1990 tearing up his Stratocaster with Clark and Angela Strehli on “Big Town Playboy.” 

Denny Freeman on Austin City Limits, 1990.
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Featured News Taping Recap

Dayglow tapes an effervescent ACL

photo by Scott Newton

Sloan Struble, AKA Dayglow, may only be twenty-one, but as his brand new album Harmony House proves, he writes expert pop tunes like a pro. He’s also moved easily from solo auteur to confident bandleader, as his debut ACL taping (live streamed around the world) can attest. 

After a typically rousing Terry Lickona introduction, the stage remained empty, as an electronic pulse teased the imminent arrival of the musicians. The band came on one by one, with Struble himself taking the stage last and bouncing around to the happy energy of album opener “Something.” Struble took a moment to introduce the band, before displaying the modern/nostalgic dichotomy that makes his music sound so fresh: “Medicine” opens with a noisy burst of electronica before settling into a warmly organic 70s pop groove. “This is actually our biggest show ever,” noted Struble. “I know it’s limited capacity, but this is the biggest crowd we’ve ever played for.” The band then revisited the first Dayglow album Fuzzybrain for the Latin-feeling “Nicknames,” complete with ending cowbell solo. Struble noted how cool it was that he first visited the original ACL studio as a University of Texas freshman, and now he found himself onstage at ACL Live recording his own episode. Powered by that giddy joy, there was no choice but to go into the bubbly, danceable “Hot Rod,” frosted with harmony leads from Struble and guitarist Colin Crawford. Saxophonist Marshall Lowry then joined the quintet onstage, adding some deliciously 80s pop saxophone to the melancholy “December.” Struble took to his even more-80s styled keyboard for the song’s coda, segueing directly into the upbeat “Moving Out.” 

Donning an acoustic 12-string guitar, Struble explained how he makes his records in his bedroom and how he first got his music noticed through the music-sharing platform Tunecore. That music was from Fuzzybrain, the beautifully tuneful title track of which came next. Shouting out longtime ACL makeup artist Glenda Facemire, Struble, acting on a tip from her, good-naturedly patted away the perspiration while introducing the next acoustic guitar-driven song, Harmony House’s “Woah Man.” He went back to his Strat for the peppy, sweetly melodic “Listerine,” before going into the breakout song that launched his career:  “Can I Call You Tonight?,” as perfect a pop song as has hit the airwaves in some time. Unless, of course, you count the next song, the groovy but melody-rich “Crying on the Dancefloor,” also from Fuzzybrain, and featuring Lowry on soprano sax. After two songs in a row from the first album, though, it was time to revisit the new one with the lovely, old-fashioned ballad “Into Blue.” “Thank you for being here – this is awesome!” Struble declared, whose frequent declarations of “Let’s rock” punctuated his enthusiasm. “Definitely a bucket list moment!” The band then closed the main set with the latest Dayglow pop sensation, the effortlessly effervescent “Close to You,” during which the smiling, dancing Struble nearly had more fun than is allowed by law.

Struble bounced happily off the stage, but it wasn’t over yet. The band returned with a delightful surprise: a faithful, heartfelt cover of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” a song just right for them. Right as it ended, however, Dayglow kicked into an original, the first album-bopper “Run the World!!!!” “I want to run the world!” Struble asserted, and while he may not get his exact wish, as long as he keeps making music this catchy and fun, the music world may well be within his grasp. It was a great show, and we can’t wait for you to see it when it airs this fall as part of our Season 47 on your local PBS station.

photo by Scott Newton