Results tagged “austincitylimits”

Austin 360 is reporting that The Moody Foundation of Galveston has granted KLRU $2.5 million to go towards the new Austin City Limits studios build on 2nd Street downtown. Scheduled for completion in 2011, the new venue's capacity will reach 2,700 and will be called The Moody Theater. KLRU is seeking $6.5 million to complete the venue using entirely HD equipment.

Long before Mos Def referred to Somalian-born K’Naan as his brother, inviting him back onstage for an extended duet rendition of “My God,” it was clear how organically their sounds fit together. Even as their stellar hip-hop acts broke ground as a new sound for ACL, K’Naan and Mos Def kept true to cherished intimacy of an ACL taping while infusing the crowd with more energy than we’d ever seen there before.

There was a definite buzz in the air. And the excitement was palpable. You don’t get too many opportunities to witness legends from bands like The Beatles, The Doors, or in this case Led Zeppelin, live in concert and it wasn’t surprising that the eager crowd included a good chunk of our city’s media personnel. Plus there were a handful of local luminaries in attendance -- Spoon’s Jim Eno sat directly behind us while Lance Armstrong, in the section to our left, seemed to enjoy himself throughout. But the star power tonight was undoubtedly on stage.

What’s the Deal: According to Dr. Dog, they’re interested in “three-part harmonies, the out-of-doors, hoagies, vegetables and diminished chords.” And, that’s not a bad way to describe them. They’re a slightly eccentric Philadelphia five-piece who play music that’s a little folk, psychedelic, pop, soul, bluegrass and other. The band, all with nicknames like Taxi, Trouble and Tables, have been fortunate to be considered a band’s band by many, helping land them tours with groups like My Morning Jacket, Wilco, The Black Keys, The Cave Singers, and many more fairly early on. With a handful of releases tucked under their collective wing since 2001, the band is set to release another record in early 2010 on Anti- Records.

What’s the Deal: Ah, supergroups. Where would we be without them - The Highwaymen, Traveling Wilburys, Temple of the Dog, Velvet Revolver, Angels & Airwaves, The Dead Weather, and the list goes on? Now, there’s Them Crooked Vultures, a project sure to sell out tours and churn out crave-worthy songs built on the strength of the millions of albums sold of their independent projects. Them Crooked Vultures is vocalist/guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), drummer Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) and bassist/ keyboardist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), with Alain Johannes as a live guitarist. They have yet to release a recording, and the only music out there is from snippets of songs released by the band and live recordings on YouTube, which surely, combined with the fact that they haven’t played a date in the U.S. since their debut post-Lollapalooza performance, has hard rock fans chomping at the bit to really see what they’re made of.

With Elvis Costello, it's all about timing. The restless nature of the man's creativity seems to dictate that he never stay in one place for too long, be that physically or creatively. As such, fans hoping for a pass through Costello's greatest pop hits were likely disappointed at the setlists that emerged last week both at Austin City Limits and at Bass Concert Hall. We suspect, though, that those fans were in the minority. As fans of Costello's great mid-80's record King Of America, we welcomed the chance to see Elvis return to a genre he seems awfully good at given that he's not exactly a folk or country lifer.

KLRU's Austin City Limits television program, long a cornerstone of Austin music culture, can now count itself as a national institution: the 34-year-old show has been designated as a "historic rock and roll site" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

While the low-key Matthew Stephen Ward has been up to a lot lately, what with his Zooey Deschanel vehicle She & Him, and Monsters of Folk, his new enterprise with Conor Oberst and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Ward’s customary understated and modest showmanship still marks him as an artist. Charming the crowd with a career-spanning set heavy with Post-War and Hold Time tunes, it was the ease with which he tapped into America’s musical heritage that stood most impressive—his daunting creative schedule aside, one gets the feeling that Ward could compose an AM radio hit the moment he rolls out of bed in the morning. Despite this, don’t be deceived by his work’s apparent simplicity—only through refinement has he discovered the divining rod of old-school pop, and how to meld his impressive solo guitar chops into full band songs—this concoction ain’t no accident.

Did Austin music beget Austin City Limits, or vice-versa? Either way, the reputation of our city as the live music capitol would be woefully less true were it not for the thirty-plus years of ACL programming. As much as it is a staple of our music scene, the program itself is also squirrel-y and neatly secretive. It's sequestered away in the Communications building on UT's campus, and students of photojournalism intro class J316 could easily walk the building, overexposing their film and taking blurry photos without realizing history was being made below their feet.

Tuesday night at the KLRU studios saw the Austin City Limits debuts of Esperanza Spalding and Madeleine Peyroux. These two strong and distinct female voices both pulled off gorgeous and evocative performances worthy of the show. However, one outshined the other.

We've been keeping you in the loop about KLRU's new program, ACL Stage Left, and for those of you who missed the RSVP for Leatherbag and Brazos, we've got a treat. Check out Leatherbag performing "On Down the Line" (above) and follow the jump to see Martin Crane from Brazos doing a moving rendition of "Mary Jo". We can't wait to see who is on the bill next.

Well, we knew that Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth were coming. Here's the rest of the lineup for 2009's Austin City Limits Festival, taking place the weekend of October 4, 2009.

The 8th annual Austin City Limits music festival will take place October 2-4 at Zilker Park. Tickets will be available starting April 7, and the full lineup is due for release April 28.

“Well,” I asked Chris, upon the conclusion of the recent Austin City Limits taping of Duffy, “what did you think?” “I wanted to like her…” he said, trailing off. Bingo and ditto. Oh how I wanted to like the young Brit with the big pipes and the hit song Mercy. But oh how, during her short performance, did I find my mind drifting to the critical place. Now, there was a time in my life when being critical and sarcastic was high priority. It’s part of my grew-up-in-Jersey legacy—greet everyone with suspicion and resent others for success that you determine is truly undeserved while wondering how your own talents, which are far, far greater, have slipped recognition.

U.K. songstress Duffy comes to Austin tomorrow for a special taping of KLRU's Austin City Limits television show. If you'd like a chance to catch this immensely talented singer/songwriter—who's drawn comparisons to Amy Winehouse sans pickled liver or (complaints welcome in the comments section) Aretha herself—while she's in town, enter our giveaway contest below.

MGMT, for those who've somehow missed the boat, has experienced quite the rocket to notoriety. On the shoulders of a very solid debut album, Oracular Spectacular, the creative duo of Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser has gone from the dormitories of Wesleyan University to opening up for the likes of Beck and Of Montreal, appearing on Conan O'Brien and David Letterman, and winning a legion of partisan fans for their unique brand of updated 70s psych-rock. In light of MGMT's upcoming ACL performance Saturday (AT&T Blue Room Stage at 5:30), we got lead singer and taco-connoisseur Andrew VanWyngarden on the horn for a few questions.

Okay, okay, so everyone loves White Denim. Or, if you don't love White Denim, you probably haven't heard of them or are in denial. But let's put off talk of them for a moment, because they're just one of the seven oft-awesome acts taking turns, swapping out, roughing up, breaking down, moving through, and bashing in the Austin Ventures Stage this wonderful Sunday. As usual, the Austin Ventures Stage can be counted on for a fabulous variety of acts, and this lineup is no exception, as acts as excellent as Scott H. Biram, Heartless Bastards, Kevin Fowler, and Priscilla Ahn make it a stage worth a sit or a stand.

WaMu's seven-band Friday lineup is one to be reckoned with, or, if you prefer, it certainly is one with which to reckon. So it is with the fantastic three-headed monster of headliners the stage offers on Day One of Austin City Limits, as tearing up the evening is the widely-acclaimed M. Ward, the widely-eyed Jenny Lewis, and the widely-awesome Antibalas. Of those three, it's difficult to tell which would be the primo attraction, but Antibalas draws the night-ending time slot, and with good reason. The New York ensemble incorporates African rhythms into their horn-driven attack, and their most recent album, last year's Security, is a solid wonder, with track "Beaten Metal" sure to be a much sought-after sound to hear as dusk turns to night. Without a doubt, the energy they are sure to fuel is the ideal way to close off the stage, and at a thoroughly reasonable time of 8:15, thus leaving plenty of time either to wander over to Friday's big-name headliners, or to get the heck out before the Zilker Park exodus becomes too utterly ridiculous.

September is a big month for locals The Black and White Years, starting with the much-anticipated release of their self-titled debut and continuing with their noon set at ACL on Saturday. The group’s funk-addled rock and roll makes for energetic sets and possibly dancing, so come prepared.

Welcome to our ACL Stage Preview posts, where we give you a taste and idea of what to expect and what to look for when you attend Austin City Limits this year from September 26th to the 28th. First up, we have the WaMU stage on Sunday. Starting at 11:30 on this stage will kick off a day of music with some gospel followed by sets of country, funk, and eclectic Americana.

Weekend passes for the Austin City Limits Music Festival are sold out, but they're offering students a special chance to buy a pair of 'em at the discounted price of $135. The Austin City Limits Music Festival Student Day Sale takes place Wednesday, September 10 (that's tomorrow) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until they run out. They'll be available only at two WaMu Financial Centers: the one on 24th St and Guadalupe, and the other at 41st St and Red River (Hancock Center). Be sure to bring a legitimate student ID, first-come-first-served rules apply. While you're at it, be sure to vote in the Austinist ACL Fest "Must See Friday Picks" Contest, for your chance to watch your favorite act live on stage. [ACL Music Festival Student Day Sale] [Austinist "Must See Friday Picks" Contest]

This year, ACL Fest is hosting quite a few official after parties and shows, featuring the talents of Gnarls Barkley, Manu Chao, the Butthole Surfers, Conor Oberst, Bill Callahan and Jose Gonzalez just to name a few.

In an effort to improve their online video content, KLRU would appreciate your feedback. They've put together a quick 15-question that takes just a few minutes to complete—as a thank you for your time, anyone who submits his or her email address at the end of the survey will be entered for a chance to win two guaranteed-admission tickets to a future Austin City Limits taping. [survey]

Here's your third and final chance to score two space-available tickets to tomorrow evening's Thievery Corporation taping at KLRU's Austin City Limits Studios.

Be one of the first twenty five folks to fill out the form below and you'll score two space-available tickets to tomorrow evening's Thievery Corporation taping at KLRU's Austin City Limits Studios:

Be one of the first twenty five folks to fill out the form below and you'll score two space-available tickets to tomorrow evening's Thievery Corporation taping at KLRU's Austin City Limits Studios:

Washington, D.C. electronic duo Thievery Corporation are in town this week. Their Tuesday night show at Stubb's with Ocote Soul Sounds is already sold out, but they're sticking around another night to record an episode of KLRU's Austin City Limits.

It's official: Foo Fighters, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and John Fogerty take top billing along with Beck, Manu Chao, David Byrne, The Raconteurs, The Mars Volta, Gnarls Barkley, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, N.E.R.D., Erykah Badu, Robert Earl Keen, and Parry Griffin rounding out tier one.

The first time I ate dinner with REM’s Michael Stipe—okay so it was also the last time I ate dinner with him—was September 28, 1984. The boys were in Tampa to play at the University of South Florida (my alma mater, a place of such prestige that the dorms had pools behind them and no one took classes during prime tanning hours). Stipe didn’t invite me, I invited myself. I’d lucked into a phone interview with Pete Buck and Mike Mills a few days prior and I was still high from this unbelievable score—me a twenty year-old fledgling music writer getting to talk to them, some of my biggest musical heroes. They weren’t superstars yet, but they were heading in that direction. It was an outdoor gig and when they pulled up, I watched from a little ways away as Pete and Mike scrutinized my words in The Oracle, our college daily. Stipe was a vegetarian—probably still is—and vegetarian wasn’t something the caterer had provided, so it fell to my friend Ed, to ferry the singer to a place where he could find something that suited his palate. I like to think Ed invited me along. Or maybe I just shoved my way into his sports car. Either way, there we sat, gathered around healthy food before healthy food was a trend, at the NK Café.

More Wristbands Available Wednesday: At least a few of the coveted SXSW wristbands will be sold via the conventional route this year. The Austin Chronicle reports that 400+ wristbands priced at $165 will be on sale from 9:30am on Wednesday 3/12 at Waterloo Records. These wristbands do not require an local ID, so out-of-towners can finally get their show at wristbands not obtained through nefarious means. They also report that a second batch may be made available next week, so stay tuned for more information.