4/28 The Marfa Tapes with Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert & Jon Randall

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall. Photo by Spencer Peeples

ACL is uniquely thrilled to launch the new season with a trio of Texas natives: Miranda Lambert (in her third ACL appearance) alongside her longtime songwriting partners Jack Ingram (who last appeared 25 years ago in Season 22) and Jon Randall (in his ACL debut), showcasing The Marfa Tapes, a stripped-down project conceived in the Texas high desert. A tiny, middle-of-nowhere town with an outsized grip on the American imagination, Marfa is an eccentric outpost in the midst of a vast expanse of nothingness, the perfect place to lose – or find – yourself. For Lambert, Randall, and Ingram, it’s both. Over the past several years, the desolate location has become a songwriting haven for the trio, yielding both massive hits and profound personal growth. When they returned for five days this past November though, they came not to write, but to record, capturing a captivating new album inspired by the stark beauty of west Texas and the deep, lasting bonds the three have forged there. Recorded raw and loose with just a pair of microphones and an acoustic guitar, The Marfa Tapes is a stunning work of audio verité; an intimate, unadorned snapshot of a moment in time fueled by love, trust, and friendship.

The trio recorded much of the album outdoors, inviting the ambient sounds of the desert to seep into their live, bare bones performances, and the atmosphere is utterly transportive. While a couple of the tracks may already be familiar to listeners – ACM Song of the Year “Tin Man” as well as fan favorite “Tequila Does” – the vast majority of these songs have never been heard outside of Marfa. The result is a rare glimpse inside the creative process of three of the genre’s most accomplished writers and performers; a candid, unvarnished look at Lambert, Randall, and Ingram’s undeniable chemistry in its purest, most honest form.

“There’s something singular that happens in that moment of collaboration and creation, something you can never really recreate in the studio,” says Ingram. “Our hope with this album was to share a little bit of that magic with people.”

TONIGHT’S POSTER

18″ x 24″ screen print
Signed and numbered by artist Billy Perkins
Edition of 200

Austin native Billy Perkins was drawing by age 4, inspired by the comic book art of Buscema, Colan, Kirby, Steranko and more. More major artistic influences came in the form of album cover art, psychedelic poster art and of course, the music itself. Perkins’ style is derived equally from these influences, at times combining elements of them all. Perkins’ 30-year career has produced posters for Widespread Panic, Blondie, Cheech & Chong, Alice in Chains, ZZ Top, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Black Pumas and many more.

Instagram: @billyperkinsart

UPCOMING STREAMS

May 25 – Dayglow

June – Sarah Jarosz

July 17 – Jon Batiste

August 3 – Brandy Clark

September 14 – Leon Bridges

September 22 – Jackson Browne

October – Brittany Howard

November 30 – Terry Allen