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Taping Recap

Beck’s exciting, dynamic performance

Last night, we were pleased to welcome Beck to the ACL stage for a wide-ranging set of classic hits and stellar new material from his acclaimed new LP Morning Phase. Opening with the riff-heavy rocker “Devil’s Haircut,” Beck and his crack band had the audience in the palm of its collective hand from the get-go. The skittering garage rock of “Black Tambourine” and the groovy rawk of “Think I’m in Love” – which cleverly interpolated Donna Summer’s disco gem “I Feel Love” – kept the party vibe going.

Beck strapping on his acoustic guitar signaled a shift in mood, confirmed by the gorgeous “Golden Age.” The band kept to the spirit of that Sea Change hit, digging deeply into Morning Phase, with attendant hits from other LPs. “Blackbird Chain,” “Don’t Let It Go” and “Blue Moon” proved that Beck’s bag of folk-pop melodies remains bottomless, and his incorporation of banjo in “Say Goodbye” and the anthemic build of “Waking Light” showed him willing to play with the formula. Not content simply to drop new material on the crowd, Beck also essayed takes on Sea Change’s “Lost Cause” and Mutations’ “Dead Melodies,” which fit right in.

After that sustained wave of shimmering beauty, it was time to pump the energy back up, which the groovy “Sissyneck” accomplished nicely. The whooshing rhythm ‘n’ psych gem “Soldier Jane” and the funky blues rocker “Soul of a Man” kept things vibrating, setting the stage for the Big Smash. The crowd went wild at the sound of the familiar slide lick that heralded “Loser,” as the band filled out the sparse original with psychedelic weirdness and Beck danced all over the stage. The frisky electropop of “Girl” and the noisy guitar fest of “E-Pro” brought the main set to a crashing close, with Beck and band on ending up on their back and literally crawling offstage.

But it wasn’t over yet. The musicians came back to redo a few of the Morning Phase songs with renditions even more beautiful than the first takes. The encore exploded to a close with Beck’s classic anthem “Where It’s At,” in an extended version that included audience call-and-response, Beck doing the electric slide with guitarist Smokey Hormel and bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen and a coda highlighting the singer’s harmonica showcase “One Foot in the Grave.” The crowd couldn’t have been happier, and we all wished we could have joined the band’s group hug.

Beck’s second performance for Austin City Limits – he first played the show in Season 28 in 2002 – was an exciting, dynamic showcase of talent, and we can’t wait for you to see it when the episode airs in the fall. Stay tuned!

 

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News

Beck 4/27

Austin City Limits is pleased to announce the return of Beck to Austin City Limits on Apr. 27. Read more

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News Taping Recap

Band of Horses rocks ACL for the second time

Following their triumphant ACL Festival set, Band of Horses joined us to tape their second Austin City Limits show, returning to the stage they first played six years ago.  Celebrating the release of their fifth album Why Are You OK, the South Carolina quintet brought their A-game for an easygoing but rocking set.

To the crowd’s delight, the band began strong right out of the gate with “Is There a Ghost,” the powerhouse that kicks off their second record Cease to Begin. BOH reached even further back to their debut LP Everything All the Time for “The Great Salt Lake,” a less soaring but no less compelling anthem. Ringmastered by perennially upbeat frontman Benjamin Bridwell, the group then jumped forward to their latest record, rocking their way through the radio hit “Casual Party” and “Solemn Oath.” Bridwell and company next romped through “Laredo,” the hit from their bestselling LP Infinite Arms, before going back to the new LP for the country rockin’ “Throw My Mess,” featuring Tyler Ramsey’s slide guitar.

A quick set change later, Bridwell and Ramsey commanded the stage by themselves, the latter fingerpicking an acoustic guitar while the former put his heart and soul into singing “No One’s Gonna Love You,” one of the band’s loveliest ballads. Bridwell donned an acoustic guitar and welcomed keyboardist Ryan Monroe back to the stage wielding a mandolin. The trio circled a single microphone to capture both acoustic instruments and three-part harmonies for “Part One,” a new folk classic from the debut LP. Ramsey and Monroe left the stage while bassist Bill Reynolds and drummer Creighton Barrett came back, as Bridwell took a chair and a second bass for the low-end pop song “Our Swords.” Full band once again assembled, the Horses essayed the organ-heavy ballad “Detlef Schrempf,” dedicated to the German basketball player of the same name.

After four tunes in a row from the first two albums, Band of Horses  rejoined OK with a pair of striking songs: the synth-frosted pop tune “Hag” and the anthemic “In a Drawer,” which started slow and pretty before exploding into lighter-waving rock & roll. “Now that we’re all happy, here’s a song about death,” quipped Bridwell before fan favorite “The Funeral,” a song from that debut that also starts graceful and breaks into thunder. The latter’s big rock finish brought the audience to their feet, but the Horses weren’t finished. Banging a tambourine with a drumstick, Bridwell led the group through the rollicking “The General Specific,” to wild applause. It was a fine rock & roll show, and we can’t wait for you to see it when it airs early next year as part of our Season 42 on your local PBS station.

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Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast

Band of Horses and Parker Millsap bring modern roots rock to ACL Season 42

Austin City Limits showcases modern roots rock with two American originals: indie favorites Band of Horses and acclaimed singer-songwriter Parker Millsap.

South Carolina indie-folk rockers Band of Horses made their ACL debut in 2010 and return to perform time-honed classics alongside new gems from their fifth studio album Why Are You Ok? The Charleston-based quintet, led by dynamic frontman Ben Bridwell, kick off the upbeat seven-song set with the classic, “Is There A Ghost” from their 2007 album Cease To Begin. The band strips down to an acoustic trio for the early career hit “Part One,” circling a single microphone to capture their lush three-part harmonies. New songs “Throw My Mess,” “Hag” and “In A Drawer,” showcase the band’s melodic range, and lead into the raucous set-closing anthem, fan favorite “The General Specific.”

Oklahoman singer-songwriter Parker Millsap has set the Americana world on fire with his songs, his voice and his impassioned live show. Raised in the Pentecostal church, Millsap is filled with a fire-and-brimstone fervor that fuels his gospel-tinged lyrics and gives way to Buddy Holly-esque rockabilly ravers. The 23-year-old rising star opens his ACL debut with the apocalyptic title track from his sophomore album The Very Last Day. Millsap’s “talent for bringing convincing, complex characters to life” (NPR) is evident in the set’s centerpiece, “Heaven Sent,” which has the singer taking on the role of a gay son searching for his preacher father’s acceptance. Millsap closes out the standout performance with a soaring, fiddle-accompanied take on the blues classic “You Gotta Move,” then concludes with a howling, impassioned performance of his own hard-hitting “Hades Pleads,” which gets the appreciative ACL audience on their feet for a well-deserved ovation.

photo by Scott Newton

“Their songs are at the heart of what makes both Band of Horses and Parker Millsap so special,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Band of Horses are at the top of their game, lyrically and melodically, and Parker Millsap’s songwriting is story-telling at its very best. This is a show you where you should turn off the lights and turn up the volume.”

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 a brand new episode, featuring the ACL debuts of gospel legend CeCe Winans and Southern soul revivalists St. Paul & the Broken Bones.

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News

Giveaway: Band of Horses 10/2

UPDATE: Giveaway is now over.

Austin City Limits will be taping a performance by Band of Horses on Sunday, Oct. 2nd, at 8 pm at ACL Live at The Moody Theater (310 W. 2nd Street, Willie Nelson Blvd). We will be giving away a limited number of space available passes to this taping. Enter your name and email address on the below form by 9 am on Thursday, Sept. 29th.

Winners will be chosen at random and a photo ID will be required to pickup tickets. Winners will be notified by email. Passes are not transferable and cannot be sold. Standing may be required.  No photography, recording or cell phone use in the studio. No cameras or recording devices allowed in venue.

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Featured News

Backstage with Austin City Limits: 50 Years of Making Music in Austin

Go behind-the-scenes of Austin PBS’s iconic, longest-lasting music television series, Austin City Limits, and hear from the show’s producers & technicians who have made the series a staple for music fans for 49 seasons. Join Sara Robertson, Austin PBS Chief Content Officer, as she moderates a panel discussion on June 1 at 3 pm at the Driskill Maximillian with Executive Producer Terry Lickona, Producer Jeff Peterson, Assistant Producer Michael Toland, Audio Director David Hough, and Director of Archives Liz Antaramian for a conversation about curating a one-of-a-kind music experience, how the series’ influence and creative vision has evolved over the last 5 decades, and the necessity of keeping art accessible and preserved for future generations.

The panel is presented by the 12th annual ATX TV Festival, which includes dozens of special screenings, panels, and cast reunions featuring Cheers, The Righteous Gemstones, Star Wars: Andor, Late Night With Seth Meyers, Dawson’s Creek, and much more. Check out the program and schedule for more.

Tickets are available now! Go here to purchase.