Tag: Tapings

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Featured News Taping Announcement

New tapings: Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell and Jesse & Joy

We’re excited to announce a pair of new tapings for June, both from duos – one featuring music veterans and the other by fast-rising newcomers.

Back in the mid-70s, Emmylou Harris was a rising star in country music and Rodney Crowell was a up-and-coming young songwriter who played rhythm guitar in Harris’ Hot Band. Nearly four decades later, each has become an Americana icon, and the pair reunites for the acclaimed duet album Old Yellow Moon. ACL vets both, the duo brings their tour in support of the record to our stage on June 14 for what is sure to be a landmark taping.

On June 17, we welcome, for the first time, Jesse & Joy.  The award-winning brother and sister duo from Mexico was a hit with Latin audiences practically right from the start, climbing up the Mexican and U.S. charts starting in 2006 and culminating in the triple platinum LP ¿Con Quién Se Queda El Perro?. The twosome also boasts five Latin Grammy awards, including Song and Record of the Year for the hit “¡Corre!” We’re excited to host these international rising superstars.

photo by Francis Bertrand

We’ll be announcing the ticket giveaways for these incredible shows as we get closer to the taping dates. Keep up with the latest by following us on Facebook and Twitter. More to come – stay tuned!

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Featured News Taping Recap

Vampire Weekend keeps melodies and rhythms flowing

South By Southwest brings thousands of bands to Austin, but only one of them made it to the ACL stage this year. Vampire Weekend is a band we’ve been talking about having on the show for some time, and thanks to SXSW the time was right. The NYC band has been receiving accolades since it first emerged several years ago. Arriving at the ACL stage for its debut taping on the final night of the festival, Vampire Weekend did not disappoint.

One of the things for which the band has become known is its penchant for blending Afropop with British/American jangle pop, and its ability to do that was in full flower tonight. “White Sky,” “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” and the hit “Holiday” displayed impressive musicianship in playing the tricky polyrhythms and intricate melodies, while not stinting on the irrepressible melodies. Afropop is only one arrow in the band’s quiver, however. The quartet mixed in ska rhythms for “M79,” jangled forthrightly in the more straightforward “Oxford Comma” and worked a less genre-specific tropical groove on “Cousins” and the monster hit “A-Punk,” the latter of which brought on the crowd’s biggest roar. The group got even more diverse in the songs it previewed from its upcoming LP Modern Vampires of the City: “Unbelievers” eschewed worldbeat for upbeat pop played on Farfisa organ and nylon-string guitar, “Ya Hey” soaked itself in electro rhythms and otherworldly atmosphere and “Diane Young” simply rocked out.

With sixteen songs in 70 minutes, Vampire Weekend kept its melodies and rhythms flowing with tight efficiency and maximum fun. We can’t wait for you to see this episode when it airs in the fall as part of our 39th Season. Stay tuned.

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News

Ticket Giveaway: Vampire Weekend 3/17

* ticket giveaway is now over

Austin City Limits will be taping a performance by Vampire Weekend on Sunday, March 17th, 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 Tuesday, March 12.

Passes are not transferable and cannot be sold. Standing may be required.

No photography, recording or cell phone use in the studio.

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Featured News Taping Announcement

New tapings: Grizzly Bear and Jim James

For the past decade, Austin City Limits has been the best source for indie rock on television. This spring, we’ll keep that particular brand of goodness coming with new tapings featuring Grizzly Bear and Jim James. Grizzly Bear has been on the rise for all of their decade-long existence, and we’re happy to finally bring their visceral, majestic indie rock to our stage on April 10 as they support their acclaimed latest LP Shields. Brilliant My Morning Jacket leader James is no stranger to ACL – this May 5 show celebrating his eclectic, atmospheric solo album Regions of Light and Sound of God will be his sixth appearance on our stage.

We’ve got more great music on the way to our studio – stayed tuned for information on how to be in the audience for one of these tapings by following us on Facebook and Twitter and in this space.

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Featured News Taping Announcement

ACL’s new taping season begins March 17

Alright, slackers, vacation time is over. We’ve already booked some artists for the next season of Austin City Limits, which will be our 39th.  We’re thrilled to announce that we’re kicking off our new taping season on March 17 with indie rock heroes Vampire Weekend, a longtime “ask” that’s finally a “get.” On April 16 we’re bringing current radio faves the Lumineers to our stage, accompanied by fast-rising critical faves Shovels & Rope. On May 6 we welcome French alt.rock troupe Phoenix to ACL.

Not a bad way to kick off an exciting new year in ACL TV history. This will be just the tip of the iceberg, of course – check in frequently with our Facebook and Twitter pages and this here blog for more taping announcements as they happen.

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News Taping Recap

Esperanza Spalding’s Radio Music Society in action

When Esperanza Spalding appeared on Austin City Limits in 2009, she frankly blew us away. A great singer, composer, bandleader and bassist, the Portland native-turned-Austin resident wasn’t a household name, but she made a huge impression on everyone who saw her on our stage. So we were pleased to have her back, with a Best New Artist Grammy on her shelf and a new twist on her distinct vision of jazz and soul.

In a direct nod to her latest record Radio Music Society, a giant jambox adorned our stage; when it started to glow, the band began to play, jumping genres amid radio static to emulate someone switching stations looking for the perfect song (a theme she’d come back to later). Then a deejay announced “Us,” a funky pop tune in which Spalding explained “the philosophy of the Radio Music Society” and introduced her 11-piece band. Stage appropriately set, she and her musicians danced skillfully across a line where jazz, R&B and pop hook up. She veered from the romantic pop/soul of “Crowned and Kissed” and the overt R&B empowerment of “Black Gold” to the jazz balladry of “Hold On Me” and the bebop fusion of Wayne Shorter’s “Endangered Species” (now given environmentally-conscious lyrics).

But Spalding and the band did more than simply play different but related styles. They mixed it all together, adding scat singing to the lovelorn soul of “I Can’t Help It,” slathering the R&B ballad “Cinnamon Tree” with busy jazz guitar (provided by Jef Lee Johnson, a cult figure for guitar nerds) and spicing the singalong soul pop of “Radio Song” with a free jazz piano solo. “Radio Song,” in fact, climaxed the set, rolling the entire “philosophy” of the Radio Music Society into one number, with explanatory dialogue, a catchy chorus and a call-and-response vocal line that made the audience part of the performance. Spalding left the stage still playing and leading the crowd in song.

She encored with a nod to her jazz roots, essaying a sweet take on Betty Carter’s “Look No Further” accompanied only by her drummer. It was a perfect way to cap the big music of the main set and a reminder of her mantra from her first ACL appearance: jazz ain’t nothin’ but soul. You’ll hear for yourself when Esperanza Spalding’s episode airs in February. Don’t miss it!