Austin City Limits showcases a pair of breakthrough Canadian singer-songwriters: Montreal native Allison Russell shares the hour with The Weather Station, the performance name of Toronto’s indie-folk singer/songwriter Tamara Lindeman. Russell makes her show debut with a radiant set featuring songs from her 2022 Grammy-nominated solo debut album Outside Child; while The Weather Station presents a hypnotic set highlighting selections from Ignorance, an album that topped many 2021 year-end-best-of lists. The new Season 48 installment premieres October 22 at 8pm CT/9pm ET. The program, recorded live at ACL’s studio home 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 48 years as the music institution nears a remarkable half-century milestone. 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.
After years of collaborations with like-minded artists, Allison Russell released her debut solo effort Outside Child to much critical acclaim, earning a trio of 2022 Grammy nominations, including Best Americana Album; it was recently named 2022 Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association. The starkly beautiful breakthrough deals with the abuse Russell suffered as a child and her subsequent survival. Now based in Nashville, the singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist begins a magnetic set with the folk rocker “The Runner,” joined by a six-piece all-female band; the number soars with exquisite backing vocals and strings. She picks up her banjo for the powerful “All of the Women,” an attempt to find survivor’s joy despite continued societal injustices and senseless tragedy. “We believe that music, shared like this, is creative communion, an essential service that helps build up our empathy,” Russell tells the crowd. A co-founder of the supergroup Our Native Daughters, Russell closes with the stunner “You’re Not Alone,” from the 2019 album Songs of Our Native Daughters.
Tamara Lindeman, leader of the Toronto outfit The Weather Station, has earned critical acclaim for the thoughtful, soulful songcraft showcased on her 2021 breakthrough Ignorance, a commentary on climate change issues. Ignorance was named a Top 10 Album of 2021 by Pitchfork, The New Yorker, Spin, New York Times, Uncut, The Guardian, and several others. In a captivating set centered on the album and accompanied by her five-piece band, Lindeman opens kneeling for the riveting single “Robber,” as the tempo and urgency increase, amplified by saxophone and keyboards for dramatic, atmospheric effect. The musically inventive performance draws from elements of jazz, folk and indie-rock. A highlight is the mesmerizing “Stars,” the main track from her stripped-down companion album, 2022’s How Is It That I Should Look At the Stars. Backed only by keyboards, Lindeman’s voice rings out with pure grace, with the crowd remaining intensely hushed for the entire song.
“No artist can sing or express a song better than the writer, and Allison and Tamara are living proof of that,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Their emotional evocations cover the deeply personal to the global, and their songs resonate with meaning as we try to navigate the world around us.”
Allison Russell:
THE RUNNER
ALL OF THE WOMEN
POISON ARROW
YOU’RE NOT ALONE
The Weather Station:
ROBBER
ATLANTIC
PARKING LOT
STARS
TRIED TO TELL YOU
BETTER NOW
Season 48 Broadcast Line-up (first half of season)
October 1 Brandi Carlile
October 8 Japanese Breakfast/Arlo Parks
October 15 Sylvan Esso/Lucius
October 22 Allison Russell/The Weather Station
October 29 Parker McCollum/Robert Earl Keen
November 5 Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
November 12 Cimafunk and The Tribe
Watch live, stream anytime, 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 and IG. 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 48th 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, Workrise, 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.