News - Page 7 of 205 - Austin City Limits

Episode premiere: Jorge Drexler

Post author By michael
Post date November 3, 2023

Jorge Drexler on Austin City Limits. Photo by Scott Newton.

Austin City Limits showcases global music powerhouse Jorge Drexler, who swept the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards with a record seven awards. The international star makes his first appearance on the ACL stage with a sparkling hour of lush soundscapes and irresistible Spanish-language songs from his celebrated Tinta y Tiempo. The new installment premieres November 4 at 7pm CT/8pm ET as part of the series Season 49. 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. The show’s official hashtag is #acltv.

The program, produced by Austin PBS and recorded live at ACL’s studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas, 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 49 years as the music institution nears a remarkable half-century milestone. Austin City Limits celebrates 50 years as a live music beacon in 2024: on October 17, 1974, Willie Nelson taped the pilot episode and the trailblazing series premiered in 1975. Stay tuned for news on special concerts, fan events and activations as Austin City Limits salutes an incredible legacy of 50 golden years of American musical history and iconic performances.

A giant in the world of Latin music, singer/songwriter Jorge Drexler has recorded fourteen albums over the course of a storied three-decade career and has toured the world over. This widely-acclaimed and much-decorated artist makes his Austin City Limits debut showcasing his 2022 Latin Grammy Award-winning Tinta y Tiempo (Ink and Time), which received top honors of Record of the Year. With the sweeping and cinematic album as the centerpiece, the Uruguayan-born/Spain-based maestro delivers a captivating 12-song set, incorporating a pantheon of global sounds and dazzling, poetic wordplay. The charismatic, white-suited bandleader and his seven-piece group open the hour with the jaunty pop number “El Plan Maestro” (The Master Plan), the lead track of Tinta y Tiempo. The upbeat “Universos Paralelos” (Parallel Universes) soars, with Drexler accompanied by his backup singers. A set highlight is the remarkable “¡Oh, Algoritmo!” as he sings and raps irony-saturated lyrics about the conflict between what we want and what we’re sold by algorithms and AI—sparking a crowd singalong. The ever entertaining Drexler shows off some deft footwork as he performs the seductive “Tocarte” (To Touch You), the album’s breakout single, which took home the Latin Grammy’s Song of the Year.

“As much a poet as he is a singer and songwriter, Jorge Drexler is one of the most eloquent voices in Latin music today,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Jorge was a particularly avid fan of the great Leonard Cohen, to whom he has often been compared, and he told me how proud he was to perform on the same stage as someone who inspired him so much.”

Episode setlist:

El Plan Maestro (The Master Plan)

Cinturón Blanco (White Belt)

Universos Paralelos (Parallel Universes)

¡ Oh, Algoritmo ! (Oh Algorithm!)

Tinta y Tiempo (Ink and Time)

La Edad Del Cielo (The Age of Heaven)

Guitarra y Vos (Guitar and You)

Tocarte (To Touch You)

Bolivia

Bailar En La Cueva (Dance in the Cave)

Movimiento (Motion)

Todo Se Transforma (Everything Transforms)

Season 49 Broadcast Line-up (second half of season to be announced separately)

Oct. 7 Rodrigo y Gabriela featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra

Oct. 14 Jenny Lewis / MUNA

Oct. 21 Lil Yachty / Sudan Archives

Oct. 28 Margo Price / Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Nov. 4 Jorge Drexler

Nov. 11 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Nov. 18 Foo Fighters

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. The complete line-up for the full 14-week season, including seven new episodes to air beginning January 2023, 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, IG and TikTok. 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 49th 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, the Austin Convention Center Department, Cirrus Logic and AXS Ticketing. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.

Taping recap: ACL Hall of Fame 2023

Post author By michael
Post date October 27, 2023

Terry Lickona kicks off the ACL Hall of Fame Honors on October 26, 2023. Photo courtesy Austin City Limits/Austin PBS.

On the heels of wrapping tapings for our 49th season, Austin City Limits presented our biggest evening of the year: the Austin City Limits Annual Hall of Fame Honors. For our ninth annual celebration, we were thrilled to induct country superstar Trisha Yearwood and the late, legendary singer/songwriter John Prine. Friends and fans of both artists joined us at the Moody Theater to pay tribute to these music greats, both of whom clocked multiple episodes of the show.

Following remarks from Austin PBS CEO Luis Patiño and longtime ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, the celebration of Trisha Yearwood kicked off the evening. “I was a fan of Trisha Yearwood the minute I heard that voice coming out of the radio,” proclaimed Don Henley, on hand to induct his longtime friend. “You can’t really wear out a CD, but I tried.” Yearwood riposted “To hear this singer talking about my singing is surreal!” She spoke about growing up watching the show: “It’s all about the music here, and that’s why I’m honored to be a part of it.”

Jo Dee Messina was the first of Yearwood’s all-star guests to salute, belting out a rousing, audience-enhanced version of “She’s in Love With the Boy,” her buddy’s chart-topping signature tune. The honoree herself took the stage, asking for a round of applause for Lloyd Maines & the ACL All-Stars, our longtime HOF house band. Yearwood teamed with country great Ronnie Dunn for the beautiful duet “I’ll Carry You Home,” a gospel-soaked anthem which allowed both singer’s powerful voices to soar to the heavens for which the song reaches. Singer/songwriter Brandy Clark gave a moving intro, saying Trisha’s voice is in the lineage of “Patsy Cline, Linda Ronstadt and Karen Carpenter,” and delivered a stunning rendition of Yearwood’s classic ballad “The Song Remembers When.” Celebrated duo Brothers Osborne hit the stage to rock “Wrong Side of Memphis,” a song chosen for them by Yearwood herself. She returned to thank Clark and the Brothers, as well as her producer and song-picker Garth Fundis. She then brought Henley back up for a poignant performance of their fan-favorite hit “Walkaway Joe,” the duo sounding just as strong and soulful now as they did when they recorded the song in the early nineties. Yearwood and all of her pals then took one final bow together.

When Terry Lickona returned to introduce John Prine, he noted that we intended to induct the songwriter’s songwriter in 2020, but the pandemic intervened. We were finally able to to do it in 2023, sadly two years after he passed; however, It didn’t diminish the joy of tonight’s celebration, as made clear by inductor Ethan Hawke. “To love John Prine and his songs is to be part of one of the greatest conversations in the world,” the actor said. “Say it with me – hello up there!” Prine’s widow Fiona, joined by sons Jack, Tommy, and Jody, accepted the award on the late songwriter’s behalf. “John considered Austin City Limits an important part of his career,” Fiona said. “Getting that call was a thrill every single time.” His youngest son Tommy followed in the tradition by taking center stage and singing “Souvenirs,” his favorite song by his dad. “Miss you, daddy,” he said as left the stage. Playing solo, Philadelphia indie rocker Kurt Vile performed “How Lucky,” a Prine deep cut he was lucky enough to record with its writer, just a few days before New Year’s 2020. Banjo in hand, singer/songwriter Allison Russell performed a moving take on “Storm Windows,” her daughter’s favorite John Prine cut.

Recounting a story of a wild night when Prine met rockabilly wild man Ronnie Hawkins, singer Nathaniel Rateliff joined the party to sing the only slightly sardonic “All the Best.” Singer/songwriter Tyler Childers, who appeared with Prine on his final ACL appearance in 2019, reminded us all of the master’s ability to write a great honky-tonker, singing the wry “Yes, I Guess They Oughta Name a Drink After You.” Singular singer Valerie June arrived to tell a story about being asked to open for Prine on the The Tree of Forgiveness tour, calling her tourmate “an angel.” Broad hint conveyed, she put her heart and soul into “Angel From Montgomery,” making it a joyful celebration of gospel intensity, to the audience’s delight. June then gathered the extended family around her, with Rateliff, Childers, Russell, Vile, and Tommy Prine each taking a verse on the honoree’s classic song “Paradise.” Appropriately, Tommy sang the last lines solo in tribute to his father, and a big bow from the second half cast brought to a close a memorable ACL Hall of Fame.

Part 1:

She’s in Love With the Boy – Jo Dee Messina

I’ll Carry You Home – Trisha Yearwood and Ronnie Dunn

The Song Remembers When – Brandy Clark

Wrong Side of Memphis – Brothers Osborne

Walkaway Joe – Trisha Yearwood and Don Henley

Part 2:

Souvenirs – Tommy Prine

How Lucky – Kurt Vile

Storm Windows – Allison Russell

All the Best – Nathaniel Rateliff

Yes, I Guess They Oughta Name a Drink After You – Tyler Childers

Angel From Montgomery – Valerie June

Paradise – cast

Trisha Yearwood – vocals

Jo Dee Messina – vocals

Ronnie Dunn – vocals

Brandy Clark – vocals

T.J. Osborne – vocals, guitar

John Osborne – guitar, vocals

Don Henley – vocals

Tommy Prine – vocals, guitar

Kurt Vile – vocals, guitar

Allison Russell – vocals, banjo

Nathaniel Rateliff – vocals, guitar

Tyler Childers – vocals, guitar

Valerie June – vocals

The ACL All-Stars:

Lloyd Maines – steel guitar, guitar

David Grissom – guitar

Chris Gage – keyboards, accordion

Bill Whitbeck – bass, vocals

Tom Van Schaik – drums

Don Henley inducts Trisha Yearwood into the ACL Hall of Fame, October 26, 2023.

Episode Recap Featured News

Episode premiere: Margo Price/Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Post author By michael
Post date October 26, 2023

Margo Price and Molly Tuttle on Austin City Limits, 2023. Photos by Scott Newton.

Austin City Limits showcases a pair of dynamic live acts in a revelatory new hour: country iconoclast Margo Price returns for her second headlining appearance with her latest album Strays as the centerpiece; and next-generation bluegrass musician Molly Tuttle and her band Golden Highway dazzle in their ACL debut with gems from their 2023 Grammy-winning Best Bluegrass Album Crooked Tree and latest City of Gold. The new installment premieres October 28 at 7pm CT/8pm ET as part of the series Season 49. 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. The show’s official hashtag is #acltv.

Margo Price returns tapes Austin City Limits, March 19, 2023. Photo by Scott Newton.

Margo Price takes the ACL stage to the strains of a Willie ‘n’ Waylon classic before launching into “Been To the Mountain,” the hard-rocking opener of her celebrated fourth album Strays. Setting the pace with the opening line “I got nothing to prove,” the powerful number details her struggles and resilience. Strays is a proclamation of freedom for Price, who surmounts a lifetime of loss (as chronicled in her best-selling 2022 memoir Maybe We’ll Make It) with songs that prove her place as a singular storyteller and restless creative. The Nashville-based artist wears a blue flowered Loretta Lynn-style dress as she puts her own stamp on country music, delivered entirely on her own terms. She leads her six-piece band the Pricetags into “Change of Heart,” its themes of self-assertiveness and defiance emphasized as Price moves deftly from guitar to drums. She performs a pair of highlights from her 2020 release That’s How Rumours Get Started, including the psychedelic folk rock of the title track and the sparkling country-rocker “Twinkle Twinkle,” commanding the stage as she continues to blaze her own remarkable trail.

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway on Austin City Limits, 2023. Photo by Scott Newton.

A rising star in bluegrass and beyond, Molly Tuttle and her band Golden Highway, make their ACL debut on the heels of a pair of celebrated releases. Tuttle’s acclaimed 2022 album, Crooked Tree won Best Bluegrass Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards and also led to a Best New Artist nomination, and was recently named Album of the Year at the 2023 International Bluegrass Music Awards. NPR Music calls the Northern California native “a female flat picker extraordinaire with agility, speed and elegance who distinctively brings American roots music into the spotlight,” and the virtuoso has racked up countless accolades from the Bluegrass, Americana and Folk awards circuit. Tuttle and her four-piece band captivate with their 21st-century bluegrass, opening with a pair of gems from City of Gold. A set highlight is “Crooked Tree,” an anthem that celebrates uniqueness, as the singer, who suffers from lifelong alopecia universalis, removes her wig for the luminous performance. “I’m proud to be a crooked tree,” she sings, and the Austin audience responds in adulation.

“Margo Price and Molly Tuttle represent the cutting edge of both Country and Bluegrass,” said ACL executive producer, Terry Lickona “…and that includes both attitude and of course their music. They both love to break new ground, and bring along a new generation of fans while they’re at it.”

Margo Price setlist:

Been to the Mountain

Change of Heart

That’s How Rumors Get Started

Twinkle Twinkle

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway setlist:

El Dorado

Yosemite

Dooley’s Farm

Where Did All the Wild Things Go?

Crooked Tree

San Joaquin

Season 49 Broadcast Line-up (second half of season to be announced separately)

Oct. 7 Rodrigo y Gabriela featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra

Oct. 14 Jenny Lewis / MUNA

Oct. 21 Lil Yachty / Sudan Archives

Oct. 28 Margo Price / Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Nov. 4 Jorge Drexler

Nov. 11 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Nov. 18 Foo Fighters

Austin City Limits

Hall of Fame News

Bid on a piece of Austin City Limits History in Austin PBS’s 2023 Hall of Fame Auction

Post author By emily
Post date October 24, 2023

Enter the 2023 ACL Hall of Fame Auction for a Chance to Win Artist Signed Posters, Custom Guitars, and more Austin City Limits Collectibles!

As a part of the 2023 ACL Hall of Fame, honoring Trisha Yearwood and John Prine, Austin PBS and ACL have created a special online auction featuring an array of once-in-a-lifetime items and experiences. This auction marks the start of a year-long celebration of Austin City Limits’ 50th Anniversary Season in 2024.

Register to bid and view all the items featured in the auction before it opens on Wednesday, October 25 at 10 a.m. CT.

Items include access to tapings during Season 50, a custom Collings C-10 guitar using wood from the original ACL Studio 6A stage, a Gibson Les Paul to be signed by all the Season 50 artists, signed posters from deep in the archives, autographed Soundwaves fine art honoring the honorees, private parties and screening, one-of-a-kind mementos and more. Auction closes Friday, October 27 at 10 a.m. CT.

Proceeds from the night go directly back to the Austin PBS station to continue our work in the community, support Made In Austin productions like Austin City Limits and to celebrate Season 50 of ACL.

Episode Recap New Broadcast News

Episode premiere: Lil Yachty/Sudan Archives

Post author By michael
Post date October 19, 2023

Lil Yachty and Sudan Archives on ACL. Photos by Scott Newton.

Austin City Limits spotlights a pair of innovators making ACL debuts in a captivating double-bill: rap star Lil Yachty showcases his genre-bending album Let’s Start Here joined by special guests; violin savant and emcee Sudan Archives performs songs from her Natural Brown Prom Queen. The new installment premieres October 21 at 7pm CT/8pm ET as part of the series Season 49. 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.

Lil Yachty, 2023. Photo by Scott Newton.

Rap star Lil Yachty makes a highly-anticipated ACL debut with his acclaimed release Let’s Start Here as the centerpiece. The 26-year-old Atlanta rapper brings to life the experimental, psychedelic rock-inspired album backed by an ace all-female, six-piece band dressed in all-black. Yachty, sparkling in all-white, with his signature beads and braids, glides onto the stage to album opener “the BLACK seminole,” a trippy opus featuring hard rock guitar riffs. Yachty is joined by a trio of guest artists featured on the album for this appearance: Rising star Texas rapper Teezo Touchdown delivers a thrilling rap verse on “the ride-,” contrasting Yachty’s soft, ethereal vocals for a blissed-out performance. A frequent collaborator, Yachty is joined by guest vocalist Fousheé on the stunner “pRETTy” and Justine Skye’s shimmering R&B vocals shine on “THE zone.” The performance closes with the climactic dance-groove of “drive ME crazy!” as Yachty sails to new directions with the fervent Austin audience onboard for the ride.

Sudan Archives on Austin City Limits, 2023. Photo by Scott Newton.

Sudan Archives, the performance name of Brittney Parks, delivers a commanding performance in her ACL debut, showcasing highlights from her sophomore album Natural Brown Prom Queen. The Cincinnati, Ohio-born, LA-based innovator and violin prodigy is a natural born entertainer and party-starter as she signals a call to action: “One question Austin, where my freaks at??” diving into synth-funk jam “Freakalizer” and making her first foray into the audience to dance. She prowls the stage playfully as she performs her 2017 breakout “Come Meh Way,” a song originally recorded in her Ohio bedroom. Parks has her violin strapped to her chest with a quiver of bows slung over her shoulder, and the experimental electro fiddler wields her instrument with ease, fusing modern musical influences of hip-hop and R&B with traditional Celtic and west African beats. “Who in here is Irish?” she calls out. “I love your culture. I joined the fiddle club and my life hasn’t been the same,” as she delights the crowd with a spontaneous Irish jig. The Afrocentric anthem “Selfish Soul” is a set highlight, and weaves a powerful commentary on femininity, the female appearance and self-worth. For set-closer “Limitless,” a soulful manifesto on materialism and superficiality, she asks the audience to illuminate the room with their phone lights as she wades into the crowd and they sing along with the lyric, “All we have is the internet,” for a striking close.

“Both Lil Yachty and Sudan Archives take ACL into very different directions,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Lil Yachty shakes up the world of hip hop by exploring an entirely different sound. As for Sudan Archives, there is no one quite like her in today’s world of contemporary music. Always expect the unexpected from Austin City Limits!”

Lil Yachty setlist:

the BLACK seminole.

the ride-

pRETTy

THE zone˜

WE SAW THE SUN!

drive ME crazy!

Sudan Archives

Nont For Sale

Freakalizer

OMG BRITT

Jig

Come Meh Way

Selfish Soul

Limitless

Season 49 Broadcast Line-up (second half of season to be announced separately)

Oct. 7 Rodrigo y Gabriela featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra

Oct. 14 Jenny Lewis / MUNA

Oct. 21 Lil Yachty / Sudan Archives

Oct. 28 Margo Price / Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Nov. 4 Jorge Drexler

Nov. 11 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Nov. 18 Foo Fighters

Austin City Limits

Taping recap: Foo Fighters

Post author By michael
Post date October 16, 2023

Foo Fighters on Austin City Limits, Oct. 12, 2023. Photo by Scott Newton.

Rock superstars Foo Fighters returned to the ACL stage for their third headlining appearance with a powerhouse, unforgettable, near 20-song set. The iconic band have captured the hearts of audiences worldwide with their soul-baring rock and roll.

Fearless leader Dave Grohl led the band through a mellow version of their classic “Times Like These,” opening a nearly two and a half hour performance—a musical sermon that celebrated the Foos legendary near three-decade career. Fans were undoubtedly welcomed to the church of rock and roll. A collection of the Foos’ signature blend of melody-driven alternative rock, roughened around the edges by Dave Grohl’s punk-influenced screams, were delivered masterfully. The rockers became intimate storytellers amongst speedy drum fills and rock and roll riff-mania, as they delivered tracks from their 2023 release But Here We Are and hard-hitting classics from throughout their catalog. The rock veterans proved their rightful place as the rock heroes of the ACL stage – a monumental music moment that fans will remember, everlong.

Grohl’s candid stage charisma and heartwarmingly charming commentary lead the way for audience interactions sprinkled in between tracks. “What’s up, people!” Grohl shouted ahead of playing “Nothing At All.” “We’ve been here hanging out all week – this is good shit! I like playing new stuff with an audience like this.” After Grohl introduced esteemed guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, bassist Nate Mendel banged out the instantly recognizable riff to the Beastie Boys classic “Sabotage.” Grohl then turned the spotlight to keyboardist Rami Jaffee and new addition drummer Josh Freese (The Germs, Nine Inch Nails). “I wish this was the biggest band he’s ever been in,” Grohl noted about Freese. “He was in Devo, you guys!” Cue Freese energetically launching into the intro for their classic “Whip It.”

Following the band’s powerfully moving performance of “The Glass”, a musical memorial to Grohl’s late mother, the Foos propelled forward with a change of pace, as Grohl asked “Anyone have any happy requests? Who wants to hear what? Let’s do a big, happy sing-along!” The uplifting anthem “My Hero”emerged to gracefully lead the audience into an all-consuming emotional recovery, with the raising of heart-shaped hands in a momentous gospel-like sing-along.

As the heartfelt fan-lead choir filled the studio walls, the Foos’ raw lyricism returned to center stage with “The Teacher.” The song, off the 2023 release, But Here We Are, is a ten minute-long ode to grief’s tumultuous nature, one that pulls us to yearn for fond memories while tugging us to grapple with the abruptness of goodbyes. Grohl’s double decker ruby red Gibson SG played through to the final song, as the singer fondly recalled past ACL performances, and added “Let’s hear it for Terry and everyone at ACL!” before seamlessly pumping the breaks into Groho’s solo rendition of the signature tune “Everlong.”

Encoring with their powerful anthem “The Best of You,” Foo Fighters exemplified an unparalleled realness that never shied away from raw musicality. Invigorated by a rock and roll type of sincere sensitivity that is exclusively Foo-like, Foo fans are simply left to watch their heroes as they go.

Foo Fighters record Austin City Limits, Oct. 2023. Photos by Scott Newton.

Setlist:

Times Like These

No Son of Mine

Rescued

La Dee Da

Under You

These Days

Generator

Nothing At All

The Sky is a Neighborhood

Shame Shame

The Glass

All My Life

My Hero

This is a Call

Aurora

White Limo

The Teacher

Everlong

Encore:

The Best of You

Musicians:

Dave Grohl – vocals, guitar

Pat Smear – guitar

Chris Shiflett – guitar, vocals

Nate Mendel – bass, vocals

Rami Jafee – keyboards

Josh Freese – drums

Tags Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters, Season 49