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Featured New Broadcast News

ACL announces first half of Season 49 broadcast schedule

Venerable television music series Austin City Limits (ACL) announces the fall return of the program and the initial Season 49 broadcast line-up with seven all-new installments to begin airing October 7 at 7pm CT/8pm ET as part of the broadcast’s fourteen episode season. ACL brings fans a new season, packed with a stellar slate of ACL legends and highly-anticipated debuts from some of today’s most talked-about live acts. 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 program, 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. 

Austin City Limits returns this fall with a singular highlight as the season opener: Grammy-winning guitar virtuoso duo Rodrigo y Gabriela joined by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The Mexico City natives are joined by an ensemble of over 30 musicians from the esteemed Austin Symphony Orchestra in an exhilarating hour; the unprecedented performance marks the first time ACL has collaborated with the world class orchestra, one of Austin’s leading arts institutions.

A season highlight is the return of Foo Fighters for their third appearance. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers previously rocked the ACL stage twice before, with unforgettable performances in 2009 (in ACL’s original Studio 6A) and 2015. ACL saluted the rock superstars’ 25th Anniversary in 2021 with a fan-favorite hourlong special featuring beloved classics from both appearances, now one of the most requested episodes in the ACL archives. ACL is thrilled to feature the iconic band back on the ACL stage in an epic new hour.

The new season continues with a number of highly-anticipated appearances from a diverse slate of artists. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis returns for the first time in nearly a decade, making her third appearance on the iconic ACL stage with highlights from her latest album Joy’All alongside career favorites; sharing the hour is breakout indie-pop band MUNA in a thrilling debut. ACL 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 singer-songwriter Sudan Archives performs songs from her Natural Brown Prom Queen. Two American originals are paired in a revelatory new hour: country standout 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 first ACL appearance with gems from their 2023 Grammy-winning Best Bluegrass Album Crooked Tree and latest City of Gold. Global music powerhouse Jorge Drexler, who swept the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards with a record seven awards, makes his first appearance on the ACL stage with a sparkling hour of lush soundscapes and irresistible Spanish-language songs from his landmark Tinta y Tiempo. Celebrated singer-songwriter and four-time Grammy winner Jason Isbell and his band the 400 Unit, who made their initial debut a decade ago in Season 39, return for their third headlining appearance in a highly-anticipated hour featuring fan-favorites and new gems from his recent Weathervanes

“There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the most diverse mix of music and talent ACL has ever presented in a new season – and it’s only the beginning!’ says longtime ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “We strive to live up to the axiom that ‘anything goes’ on ACL as long as it’s authentic, original or groundbreaking – or all three! There’s so much great music being made today from all genres and all corners of the world, and we try to showcase it all.”

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.

Categories
Featured News Taping Recap

Taping recap: Lil Yachty

Breaking into stardom after the release of 2016 album Lil Boat featuring popular track “Minnesota”, Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty sailed into the scene with his iconic autotuned vocal style and lighthearted lyricism. Yachty makes his ACL debut with his latest album Let’s Start Here. as the centerpiece, a clear departure from his previous sound. The embodiment of a modernized pop-infused psychedelic funk album with a soul influence, the album reflects a clear tribute to the 70s soul funk scene. The innovative rap star delivered a powerful fifteen-song set backed by a six-piece band, while welcoming special guests, Teezo Touchdown, Justine Skye, and Fousheé aboard the S.S. Yachty for a thrilling musical journey. Yachty’s iconic vocals swim amongst a sea of sound being carried by the god-like vocal performance of the band’s backup singers that invoke a rich, soulful, and dynamic sound worthy of many a moment of sonically-induced goosebumps while listening. He delivered a thrilling performance reflecting the album’s musical breadth, signaling his arrival into an increasingly colorful sound inspired by meaningful musical influences—synthesizers, guitar solos, keyboards, and clap-alongs all included–welcome aboard the S.S. Yachty. 

Yachty and crew sail into the first track “the BLACK seminole.” laying the foundation of the psychedelic soul sound that will be representative of the musical foundations laid within the the new record. A slowed down, psychedelic acid jazz-type instrumental that Yachty’s reverbed vocals seemingly weave in and out of, the vocals echo into the night’s first groovy guitar solo. A track that thematically pays homage to the cultural identity of the black psychedelic funk and soul sound, Yachty sings “The black seminole, a head general…a black man with mouths to feed, embracing equality throughout greed.” The rapper takes a moment to recognize the variety of talent that is represented amongst his band–a high energy  all black, female band wearing matching black sweatsuits, bandanas, and shades. The crowd applauds as the musician asserts“I got all my sisters here with me,” indicating his intentional choice of the all-female power band with remarks on the strength of the female talent and citing how “Women rule the world.” 

Following that shot of truth, the S.S. Yachty welcomes aboard a trio of special guests. Rising into action, “the ride-”, brings an 80’s inspired synth-sounding pop track featuring vocals from upcoming Beaumont rapper, Teezo Touchdown. Yachty’s light-filled ethereal sounding vocals complement  a contrasting, in your face ‘ vocal performance by Touchdown. The Texas rapper sings holding a hand full of flowers and a head adorned with his signature wig of nails, and graces the stage in a pair of white go-go boots enthusiastically rapping into his bouquet before fist-bumping Yachty during his exit. The pair makes a playful and energetic presence on stage as they vocally bounce off each other, leading the crowd into their first wave of groovy head nodding. 

The slow psychedelic sounds of funk are back in the spotlight with “The Zone~” featuring Yachty’s blossoming, kaleidoscope-like vocals that ripple throughout the track before meeting with the funky lightness of guest artist Justine Skye’s R&B inspired vocal style. A track for sailing on auto-pilot, relaxing into the magnetic mellowness of reverbed and distorted guitar and vocal tracks, the S.S. Yachty sails onto seriously smooth waters. Before diving into the climactic disco anthem “drive ME crazy!” the Atlanta rapper singles out a pair of enthusiastic fans in the front row,  The stoked pair cheer as Yachty announces he will dedicate the disco anthem to them, a token of the Captain’s appreciation for his most sunny of sailors. The track reflects the absolute energetic force radiating from the sheer talent produced by the Yachty band. The disco anthem immediately brings an impactful wave of energetic groove amongst the crowd, uplifting the sea of Yachty youngsters. A disco groove irresistible to any seasoned rollbouncer slowly melts into the slowness of the synth sounds of “The Alchemist.”

Bringing  the performance to the  album’s musical climax, the upbeat nature of “The Alchemist.” brings an energetic presence. In typical Yachty fashion, his instinctually uplifting lyricism continues to carry as the foundation to the inherent early and current Yachty sound, singing “No need to brag, but I was built for this. I know now that most men would kill for this.” The track breaks away from the funk foundations and leans towards the pop and R&B undertones still present within the album’s influences. On the Yachty sound spectrum, the rhythmically upbeat pop influence combined with the vocals of his final guest, R&B singer Fousheé, place this track several blocks away from the intersection between psychedelic funk and soul that tends to encompass the record. 

Yachty and crew bring a soulful presence fueled by a powerfully talented band of musicians that reflect the identity of the rapper’s musical experimentation inspired by traditional sounds served up a-la-Yachty. The captivating performance mobilized a sea of sing-alongs, head banging, and sheer applause for the massive talent of Lil Yachty and the musical journey. Using his debut ACL taping to showcase a departure from the conventional Yachty style, Lil Boat and crew create waves with a newfound sound that soulfully satisfies.

All photos by Scott Newton.

Categories
Featured News Taping Announcement

New ACL Season 49 tapings: Lil Yachty, Rodrigo y Gabriela featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra, DOMi & JD BECK, and Jenny Lewis

Austin City Limits is thrilled to announce a stellar slate of summer tapings for our upcoming Season 49: On June 28, we’ll present the highly-anticipated ACL debut of innovative rap star Lil Yachty, currently riding a career high following what Rolling Stone calls “one of 2023’s boldest left turns.” On July 7, we welcome back Grammy-winning guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela in their first appearance in a decade, with a one-of-a-kind performance featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra. This appearance marks the first time Austin City Limits/Austin PBS has collaborated with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, one of Austin’s oldest and most respected arts organizations. Eclectic, Gen-Z jazz duo DOMi & JD BECK, nominated for a 2023 Best New Artist Grammy, make their debut appearance on July 8; and acclaimed singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis returns to the ACL stage for the first time since Season 40 on July 26.

Photo by Tom Harrison.

Lil Yachty kicked off 2023 on a high note with the release of his sonically divergent fifth album Let’s Start Here., a monumental psychedelic alternative rock album thatreceived widespread acclaim from critics and musical peers alike. Recorded in Brooklyn and a Texas border town, Let’s Start Here is an imaginative, immersive exploration of psychedelic rock, rap, and soul inspired by Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, Frank Ocean and Tame Impala, among others, and features all live instrumentation and co-writers as varied as Mac DeMarco, Nick Hakim, Alex G and members of MGMT, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Chairlift.  “I did what I really wanted to do, which was create a body of work that reflected me,” explains Yachty in a recent Billboard cover feature. “My idea was for this album to be a journey: Press play and fall into a void.” The Source raves, “Let’s Start Here. continues to further the star’s reputation as an innovative savant,” and Rolling Stone hails, “The rapper and musician’s ambitious left-turn incorporates experimental rock and jazz with near-flawless execution, arriving at something that feels genuinely brand-new.” The 25-year-old Georgia native became a teenage breakout sensation when his Soundcloud-released song “One Night” was featured in a viral comedy video. In 2016, after collaborating with rapper DRAM on the Top 5 hit “Broccoli,” Yachty signed a joint deal with Quality Control Music and the legendary Motown Records, releasing his debut solo album Teenage Emotions in 2017. His 2018 album Lil Boat 2 debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. After having all of his major label albums and mixtapes chart in the Billboard Top 200 and scoring seventeen hits in the Top 40, Yachty’s Let’s Start Here. debuted atop three genre charts that prove his crossover appeal: Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums. Highlights include the album’s trippy opener, “the BLACK seminole.” a seven-minute opus that Yachty performed on his recent buzzed-about Saturday Night Live musical debut. Along with a coveted slot on 2023’s ACL Festival, Yachty embarks on his own extensive headlining The Field Trip Tour this fall with stops across North America and Europe.

Photo by Ebru Yildiz.

In an unprecedented performance, Rodrigo y Gabriela will be joined by over thirty musicians from the Austin Symphony Orchestra to bring to life their latest release In Between Thoughts…A New World on the ACL stage. For over two decades, the Mexico City-bred duo of Gabriela Quintero and Rodrigo Sanchez have created music that invites lasting transcendence, captivating audiences across the globe with their virtuosic and wildly inventive guitar playing. In Between Thoughts marks a sharp departure from the signature acoustic sound the acclaimed act first showcased on their 2006 self-titled studio debut, and finds the pair expanding their sound with an orchestra. Conceived during the pandemic, the duo worked remotely with Vienna-based composer Adam Ilyas Kuruc and The Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, who ornamented their serpentine arrangements with lush strings and powerful percussion. Sparked from their study of Advaita Vedanta (a Hindu philosophy rooted in the concept of nondualism), In Between Thoughts…A New World arrives as one of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s most revelatory offerings to date: a spontaneously composed body of work primed to bring about the very expansion of consciousness that inspired its creation. As they delved further into the philosophy, the duo began channeling their sense of heightened awareness into song form. “The music just started flowing out, without any real intention,” says Rodrigo. “When we looked back we realized we’d come up with nine songs that told the story of our coming to understand the Advaita path, in the exact perfect order.” The album finds Rodrigo trading his acoustic guitar for electric, adding a mercurial new energy that’s elegantly amplified by the duo’s subtle use of analog synths, Mellotron, and other electronic instruments. Propelled by a fierce vitality hinting at their thrash-metal roots, the result is an album of relentless movement and endless fluidity, each moment charged with the pure thrill of discovery. “When the subject matter is something like spirituality or seeking meaning, that can very easily go along with music that’s calming or serene,” says Gabriela. “But we wanted to do something different — we wanted to bring a cinematic quality and a lot of action to the music, and make it feel as exciting as we find all this to be.”

Photo by Tehillah De Castro.

“My philosophy of life is don’t take shit too seriously,” says keyboard savant DOMi Louna, born Domitille Degalle. And that’s fair. But the vibrant world she and her drum ace collaborator JD BECK have given us demands exploration. The astoundingly virtuosic jazz duo’s music finds both humor and greatness in harmonic complexity, rhythmic shiftiness, and speed. She favors sounds that evoke ‘70s jazz fusion and the colorful blips of 2000s Pokémon soundtracks, while he tunes and plays his snare in ways that can sound electronic, channeling IDM and boom bap. Sometimes they’re stuffed into a bathroom and sometimes the drums are muffled by pretzels stacked on the hi-hat, or toilet paper tossed on the snare. Their acclaimed debut album—NOT TiGHT, released by Anderson .Paak’s new label APESHIT in partnership with the legendary jazz label Blue Note Records—is an attempt to bottle their goofy magic. They offer winking breaks and gleeful pivots, but the album is more composed than anything they’ve done before, toying with pop structures and pretty restraint. “Since they first started breaking the internet with their hyperarticulate strain of beat music, DOMi and JD BECK have gradually burrowed their way into the jazz mainstream,” raves NPR Music. “Or maybe it’s that the mainstream has sidled up to them?” The duo first played together in a room full of blaring demos at a trade show, but they bonded over gauche keyboard effects and mom jokes. Over the next year and a half, they wrote and recorded much of NOT TiGHT at JD’s house in a Dallas suburb on drums and a 49-key MIDI board with just a few mics. The album—which earned them two GRAMMY nominations including Best New Artist—features the likes of Thundercat, whose deadpan funk is their closest antecedent, Herbie Hancock, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Mac DeMarco, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and .Paak himself. The duo has been featured in the line-ups of music festivals across the globe from Coachella to the North Sea Jazz Festival. Neither can believe what’s happening, but leave it to them to skewer the moment. When JD suggests people might hate NOT TiGHT, DOMi Louna says, “That would be sick! Booo. They suck!”

Photo by Bobbi Rich.

Having appeared on ACL twice before (with Rilo Kiley in Season 31, and leading her own band in Season 40), Jenny Lewis returns to the ACL stage showcasing her upcoming fifth solo album, Joy’All, out June 9th. Produced by Dave Cobb and recorded at the historic RCA Studio A in Nashville, Joy’All sees the highly anticipated return of one of the most compelling singer-songwriters of the 21st century embarking on a new era, in a new town—Nashville—and on a new label, as she joins the iconic roster of Blue Note/Capitol Records. Heralded by the “strummy, beach bummy” (VULTURE) first offering “Puppy and a Truck,” as well as the subsequent singles “Psychos”– declared as “easily, one of Lewis’ greatest creations” (PASTE) and “a cosmic country kiss-off” (ROLLING STONE)–“Giddy Up,” and “Cherry Baby,” Joy’All has already garnered a rapturous reception of critical acclaim: “four years on from her career-best On The Line, she’s sounding better than ever.” (PAPER). A culmination of Lewis’ prolific 20+ year career, Joy’All follows her four previous solo albums —2019’s On The Line, 2014’s The Voyager , 2008’s Acid Tongue  and her 2006 solo debut Rabbit Fur Coat—as well as her universally-loved work in Rilo Kiley and side projects Nice As Fuck, Jenny & Johnny, and The Postal Service. With no signs of slowing down for 2023, Jenny is ready to hit the road for an epic itinerary that includes both the upcoming 20th anniversary Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie co-headline tour as well as supporting dates for the Beck and Phoenix co-headline Summer Odyssey Tour, in addition to her own headlining dates in support of Joy’All.

Want to be part of our audience? We will post information on how to get free passes a week in advance of the taping. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for notice of postings. Austin City Limits also previously announced summer tapings with celebrated Americana superstars Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit on June 14; country icon Tanya Tucker on July 10; and global music powerhouse Jorge Drexler on July 31. The broadcast episodes will air on PBS this fall as part of our upcoming Season 49.