Tag: encore

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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel

It goes like this: Willie Nelson starred in the pilot for Austin City Limits in 1975 and has appeared many times since. Asleep at the Wheel kicked the first episode proper in 1976 and is also a multiple headliner. Amazingly, they’ve rarely collaborated, despite being buddies for 40 years. So when these great Texas artists came together to record 2009’s fantastic Western swing tribute Willie and the Wheel, we had to have this explosion of musical chemistry on the show – especially since it coincided with our 35th anniversary.

Featuring great old tunes like “Right Or Wrong, ‘“Hesitation Blues” and “Fan It,” as well as a handful of Willie classics, the resulting episode has since become one of our all-time favorites. It’s a special show to our beloved audience as well, and we’re happy to present this encore episode. Tune in to your local PBS station this weekend, and you might want to push the furniture against the wall in case you’ve the urge to dance.

Go here for more details on this episode, and check in with our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages for more ACL info and ephemera. Next week: M Ward and Okkervil River.

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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: Kenny Chesney

From honkytonks to sold-out arena shows, Kenny Chesney has been an ambassador for modern country music for nearly 20 years. The superstar visited Austin City Limits in Season 35 in celebration of Greatest Hits Vol. 2, which summed up his career to date. The hits just keep comin’ in this episode: “Living in Fast Forward,” “Summertime,” “Me and You,” “Beer in Mexico,” “Never Wanted Nothing More” and the then-brand new “Out Last Night.” Chesney shares the wealth as well, bringing on songwriter Mac McNally to duet on the smash “Down the Road.” With a 14-piece band that includes Ernest “Drummie Zeb” Williams from Bob Marley’s Wailers, Chesney’s widescreen country rocks the house to a fan-packed audience. Tune in this weekend to see the crowd/performer synergy for yourself.

Go here for more details on the Kenny Chesney episode, and remember, you can always hit up the blog and our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages for more on all things ACL. Next week: Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel.

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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: Elvis Costello / The Band of Heathens

Austin City Limits continues its summer celebration of the art of song this weekend, with an encore episode featuring Elvis Costello and the Band of Heathens.

For his second appearance on ACL, master songsmith Elvis Costello featured the acoustic band he worked with on his album Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, including ACL vets Jim Lauderdale and Stuart Duncan. He highlighted album cuts, of course, including “Red Cotton,” “From Sulphur to Sugarcane” and “The Crooked Line,” a duet with ACL fave Patty Griffin. But he also dug deep into the Americana he was then exploring with a cover of Tampa Red’s “Don’t Lie to Me,” and treated us to “Five Small Words,” a then-new song that would appear on his next record National Ransom, interpolated with Texas legend Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.”

Austin-based singer/songwriters Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist used to share a residency at the Austin club Momo’s, but what started as a joint gig quickly became a full-on collaboration, as the three tunesmiths found both common ground and complementary skills. Now a three-headed monster, the Band of Heathens mixes rock, soul, blues, folk, country and gospel into a rich stew that’s found fans across the country. Drawing most of their set from the album One Foot in the Ether, the Heathens kick out the Americana jams on “L.A. Country Blues,” “Jackson Station” and “Golden Calf.”

Go here for more information about this fabulous episode, and check your local listings for showtimes. And remember, you can always hit up Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr for more ACL information. Next week: country superstar Kenny Chesney.

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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: Randy Newman

It’s no secret that Austin City Limits makes a habit of showcasing musical legends. Merle Haggard, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Cliff – the archives are packed with the best of the best. This Saturday, November 12, we add another musician’s musician to the ACL canon: the great Randy Newman.

Both a tender balladeer and a master satirist, Newman’s songs span the breadth of popular music for the past five decades. Three Dog Night took “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” into the top 10 in 1970, Newman scored his own #2 hit with the infamous “Short People” and hooked another, younger generation as the composer of Pixar film music, like Toy Story’s beloved “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” In between chart milestones he’s scattered brilliant tunes like “Sail Away,” “Feels Like Home,” “Harps and Angels,” “Political Science,” “You Can Leave Your Hat On” and “Louisiana 1927” across the pop culture landscape like a farmer planting seeds in the field. And you get all of these and more in this show.

ACL producer Terry Lickona chased the Oscar-winning Newman for nearly three decades, and this episode proves it was worth the wait. Is it too early to call it a classic? Nope – we’re callin’ it.

Click here for pics, bio info and the full set list, and don’t forget to tune in Saturday night to find out for yourself. As always, check out our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages for more ACL magic. Next week: more excellent songwriting with Elvis Costello and The Band of Heathens.

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Encore Broadcast News

Encore: Lyle Lovett and Bob Schneider

This weekend it’s a Texas singer/songwriter bonanza, as we encore the 2010 season-ending episode featuring Lyle Lovett and Bob Schneider.

Lyle Lovett is no stranger to ACL audiences – this episode is his eleventh appearance (counting his stint as Nanci Griffith’s backing singer in 1984, prior to his proper debut in 1987). An iconic Texas artist with strong country-western roots, the scope of Lyle’s musical appetites – harvesting elements from gospel, jazz, pop, and folk – has lent itself to a body of work that truly reflects the spirit of ACL. This performance, which hightlights the album Natural Forces, was the final taping in the show’s original home of Studio 6A on the UT campus – the next season saw ACL in the fabulous ACL Live at the Moody Theater. Come relive (or re-relive, if you’ve seen this show before) the memories with us.

Bob Schneider has also been on ACL before, back in 2000, and has been a mainstay of the Austin music scene since his late 80s days with the band Joe Rockhead. His muse has tripped down the aisles of nearly every genre you’d care to name, from funk metal to bluegrass, and he and a small army of musicians touch on everything in this performance. “My favorite songwriters never wrote songs that sounded the same or had the same general feel,” Schneider says, explaining the show’s eclectic nature. “How could I expect to keep myself, let alone anyone else, interested if each song didn’t do its own thing or follow its own path?” Tune in to see what he means.

photo by Scott Newton

You can find more information on this episode here. Check with your local PBS station for showtimes and tune in this weekend. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr for general ACL news. Next week we re-present the visit of another great singer/songwrter: Randy Newman.

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Encore Broadcast Featured News

Encore: Rosanne Cash & Brandi Carlile

There’s nothing like the combination of a great song and a great voice. This weekend on Austin City Limits we’ve got a pair of singer/songwriters who’ve mastered that blend: Rosanne Cash and Brandi Carlile.

The daughter of American icon Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash is no stranger to the ACL stage – this is her seventh appearance on the show. For this episode, Cash showcases her album The List, which contains her interpretations of classic folk and country tunes drawn from a list of essential songs compiled by her father before his passing. She essays powerful takes on standards like “Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow,” “500 Miles” and “Sea of Heartbreak,” as well as some of her own tunes, including “The World Unseen” and “Dreams Are Not My Home.” Longtime fans will gain new insight into Cash’s creative process, while new arrivals on her musical planet will discover a new favorite.

photo by Scott Newton

Speaking of new favorites, we’re proud to re-present the ACL debut of Brandi Carlile. The Washington-born singer and tunesmith has been making music since she was in her teens, and by the time she released Give Up the Ghost, the album she highlights in this episode, she’d made fans of Elton John, Sheryl Crow and other well-known acts. Joined by her trusty sidekicks the Hanseroth twins, Carlile shows off her literate folk rock with “Pride and Joy” and “The Story,” proves her (and her band’s) vocal chops with the a cappella “Oh Dear” and rocks the house down with a sizzling cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” This episode shows neophytes what diehards already know – Brandi Carlile is a contender.

Check your local listings and tune in! You can find more info on this episode here. More ACL info in general can be had on our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages. Next week: our singer/songwriter fest continues with Lyle Lovett and Bob Schneider.