Austin City Limits

Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff has a career that spans almost 50 years. With “a voice that is preserved to startling perfection (Rolling Stone)” the only living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honor for achievement in the arts and sciences granted by the Jamaican government, has a soon-to-be-released CD and a live show that has critics raving. Billboard wrote "Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff has absolutely no business at 62 sounding as good as he does.”

Hailed as “one of the most engaging American bands of the past decade” (The Phoenix) by critics and fans, Spoon returns to Austin City Limits for their third turn on the stage with a new album that “strikes a balance between its early angsty indie-rock and the soulful deconstructed pop of its 2007 release, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” (Billboard).

Patty Griffin’s remarkable ability to copiously fill every note on her newest album with the soulful passion of a gospel veteran leaves even the most discerning gospel critics in awe. And with her fifth appearance on the Austin City Limit stage, Griffin, and her group of special guests, will be inspiring awe with her “uplifting, moving, and exquisite” (Slant Magazine) live performance.

As “one of the genuine lights in rock music” (Billboard) Alejandro Escovedo returns to the Austin City Limits stage to perform songs from his soon-to-be-released CD. His authentic Austin sound has led him to national stardom and critical acclaim. “To call Alejandro Escovedo the godfather of modern country rock would sell him short,” wrote critic Will Hermes in Rolling Stone.

Making a name for himself back in 1984 with his debut album, No Kinda Dancer, Texas native Robert Earl Keen is now regarded as one of the most highly venerated country music veterans of the past 20 years.

Bluegrass is the order of the night with Steve Martin and Sarah Jarosz. Comedian Martin picks up his banjo with the Steep Canyon Rangers for new tunes in the old tradition. Young Texan Jarosz rewrites the bluegrass rules with her original songs and style.

Cash plays tunes from her C&W tribute album "The List." Carlile performs "Give Up the Ghost" songs.

The innovative hip-hop collective backs the Grammy-winning soul singer on soul covers and originals.

Cheap Trick may be one of the most covered bands of all time. Since the 70s they’ve been blending elements of pop, punk and even metal in a way that is instantly catchy and recognizable. Tonight they make their Austin City Limits debut performing songs from their newest releases plus a few classics. With timeless songs including “I Want You to Want Me” and “Surrender,” Cheap Trick is a musical institution. With more than 5,000 performances, 20 million records sold, 29 movie soundtracks and 40 gold and platinum recording awards, the band has been honored repeatedly for their contributions to the music industry. And with their most recent albums, starting with 1997’s self-titled release, the band has “reclaimed its sound and legacy” (Chicago Tribune). In the last few years, the band wrote and performed the theme song to Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report and performed the classic Beatles album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, complete with an orchestra and guest artists Joan Osborne and Ian Ball for many critically-acclaimed shows. Their most current release, The Latest, has garnered glowing reviews worldwide and continues Cheap Trick’s reign as power-pop progenitors as they celebrate their 35th anniversary together. The Latest proves “no one beats them at their own game, and sometimes they even beat others at theirs,” wrote The Onion AV Club.

Take one part My Morning Jacket, add one part She & Him and two parts Bright Eyes, and the result is a pristine super-group incorporating four exceptional artists that define the current indie-folk generation appropriately titled Monsters of Folk. Though not strangers to the Austin City Limits stage separately, tonight they make their onstage debut under this monicor performing songs from their self-titled debut album. Monster of Folk incorporates prolific musicians Conor Oberst, the songwriter and driving force behind Bright Eyes who defined the Omaha sound with his shivering vocals and melodic folk tracks as he became hailed to be "the next Dylan”; Jim James, falsetto-driven frontman of reverb-drenched alt-country group My Morning Jacket; M. Ward, American country-folk solo artist and half of the indie-pop duo She & Him; and producer/multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis, frequent Oberst collaborator and Bright Eyes mainstay. The quartet started playing together in 2004 for a slew of shows in the Northeast under the moniker “An Evening With: Bright Eyes, Jim James and M. Ward” but didn’t wrap up their debut album in the midst of touring with respective projects. “It was never a question of where or how – it was just when,” says Ward of Monsters of Folk’s studio debut. “We knew we wanted to record an album after seeing that we had good chemistry on tour.” Their 2009 eponymous self-titled debut has been described as “a stunning record — cohesive and consistent and ambitious for how much ground it covers” [Esquire] and a "harmonious and occasionally electrified blend of folk-rock, country and white soul” [USA Today].

While lead singer Matt Berninger sustains The National with his resonant baritone voice, his bandmates masterfully round out their soul-haunting sound. With their cathartic, raw and reflective new release, High Violet, “The National has graduated from being a critic's band. Now it belongs to everyone.” (Onion AV Club). Formed in 1999, the Ohio-raised, Brooklyn-based band consists of vocalist Matt Berninger fronting two pairs of brothers: Aaron (guitar, bass, piano) and Bryce Dessner (guitar), and Scott (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). Their first full-length releases, including Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers, gained critical attention for “deftly balancing country, classical and cabaret” (Alternative Press). 2005’s Alligator included underground anthem “Mr. November,” and raised their profile as The National grew into an incendiary live band. 2007’s Boxer took the band to new levels and earned them spots on many Top 10 albums of the decade list. PopMatters wrote “This album, like all great albums, somehow transcends all the factors that makes it work, absorbs them in a seamless whole and breaks your heart in the process.” The National’s newest release, High Violet, reveals even deeper musical and lyrical wonders with each listen. “We started out trying to make a light and happy record, but it just didn't happen,” said Berninger. “This album is catchier and more fun than our other records, and bleaker in its ideas and themes.” “Somehow we create our own little world, and it works, even though sometimes it shouldn’t,” said Aaron Dessner (guitar, bass, piano). “The process can be difficult, but eventually something beautiful and cohesive will emerge. Making something heartfelt is our only concern.”

With their free-form instrumentation, catchy melodies, innovative use of feedback, and unconventional guitar tunings, Sonic Youth are the pioneers of noisy avant-garde post-punk and have defined the modern genre of indie rock. Formed in NYC almost three decades ago, Sonic Youth led the No Wave music and art movement of the 1980s and have since then progressed to dominate the alternative music scene as arguably one of the most influential bands of the past 25 years. Appearing on the Austin City Limits stage for the first time, the band delivers explosive tracks both new and old that have continuously redefined the abilities of modern rock guitar. Started by guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo and bassist Kim Gordon in 1981, Sonic Youth released their self-titled debut illustrative of their early experimental roots. Since then, the band has released 16 albums over the span of nearly 20 years, including the iconic Daydream Nation that is preserved in the Library of Congress. They continue to define a culture of unconventionally mainstream noise rock. "I think our music sounded more different in the ’80s and early ’90s," said Ranaldo. "In the early days of noise rock, only a small contingent of musicians used discordant sounds or alternate tunings to make records. To the rest of the music community, it was definitely odd-sounding music." The band’s most recent release, 2009’s The Eternal, marks the band's longest break between studio albums. It was well-received by critics galore and “secures its makers’ position at the forefront of American rock music” [Clash]. Incorporating nostalgic elements of the legacy Sonic Youth has created, Rolling Stone describes, “The Eternal sums up almost everything this band has done over three decades, punk sneers and psychedelic guitars pimping a proudly pretentious belief in rock as art.”

Since his first headlining appearance on Austin City Limits in 1987, Lyle Lovett has been a dear friend and key figure in the show’s history. An iconic Texas artist with strong country-western roots, the scope of Lovett’s musical appetites harvesting elements from gospel, jazz, pop, and folk has lent itself to a body of work that truly reflects the spirit of Austin City Limits. Since 1980, the Texas-born singer-songwriter has dazzled audiences with his unconventional brand of Americana country music that has undoubtedly transformed him from a local legend to a nationalized success. With his witty charismatic songs featuring an extensive blend of blues, country, jazz, Texas swing and more, Lovett’s legacy has dubbed him the Texas poster boy of genre-fusing success and resulted in his attainment of being honored with four Grammy wins, including Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Album. Lovett’s long history with the show began before his 1987 headlining show as a member of the studio audience for several tapings. He first took the stage as a performer in 1984 singing backup for Nanci Griffith. He has appeared on the show more than a dozen times making him one of the most frequent guests in the show’s history. On Lovett’s latest album Natural Forces, he returns to the classic country of his earlier career, with performs stunning originals showcasing his humor and insight as well as tributes to some of Texas’s finest country musicians. Paste Magazine writes Natural Forces “once again proves he can stand alongside the finest storytellers” and the Boston Globe wrote the songs “represent some of his best, most poignant work.”