The new season of Austin City Limits kicks off in early October with Norah Jones. Keith York at Public Media Digest writes in his review of the series that “in the season opener, Jones’ songs, her performances, and her presence are all sublime. From her guitar fretwork to piano key play, it is an exquisite opportunity to witness Jones and her band play a small club … The entire hour is captivating for fans and newcomers alike.” York’s review also includes an outstanding clip of Jones performing “Come Away With Me.”
“The Decemberists’ episode,” adds York, “like the ACL Music Fest, showcases a band’s own take on the Americana thing. Not traditional rock, roots, or country but all of them filtered through an aging punk with a family. Lead Decemberist Colin Meloy, for years now, has crafted songs of the sea, distant lands and even more esoteric sea-shanty like hymns to heroes and villains of bygone eras. All the while the punk and indie rock scene of the Pacific Northwest (the band is from Portland) supported their quirky lyrics and costume-ensconced live shows for years. By the time the band hit the Austin set, the band has released its first album for a major label, and the frontman became a father. Meloy’s son Hank, and years of crafting their unique brand of melancholy puts a quieter less frenetic Decemberists in front of public television’s late-night audience.”
Other artists this season pn ACL include Explosions in the Sky, Femi Kuti, Jimmie Vaughan, Wilco, Arcade Fire, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, John Mayer, Lucinda Williams, Old Crow Medicine, Bloc Party, Ghostland Observatory, Crowded House, Grupo Fantasma, Paolo Nutini and Regina Spektor.