Thursday, September 04, 2014

Sights and Sounds: Whitney Matheson, Austin City Limits, Idina Menzel, Ziggy Marley

Good morning everybody. A sad note that after 15 years of entertaining readers, pioneering Pop Candy blogger Whitney Matheson has been laid off by USA Today. I hope she can continue to inspire and use her wealth of creativity and passion for her countless fans somewhere else soon! I've been reading her column on a daily basis for as long as I can remember and been introduced to not only new music, but other pop culture-related content via her great posts...Now on with today's top music news!


Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years
Two-Hour Primetime 40th Anniversary Special Premieres October 3, 2014 on PBS-TV

Star-Studded Broadcast Features Jeff Bridges, Sheryl Crow, Matthew McConaughey, Willie Nelson, Foo Fighters, Bonnie Raitt, Alabama Shakes, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Guy, Lyle Lovett, Gary Clark Jr. & many more


Austin, TX—September 4, 2014—The landmark PBS series Austin City Limits (ACL) highlights four decades as a music institution with Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years, a primetime special honoring the program's milestone 40th anniversary, airing Friday, October 3rd, 9-11pm ET on PBS Arts Fall Festival. With guest hosts Jeff Bridges, Sheryl Crowand Matthew McConaughey, the two-hour broadcast features memorable moments from the trailblazing show's remarkable run, while the brightest stars in the series' history return to the ACL stage for dream duets and choice collaborations. Ready to write the next chapter in its storied history, ACL’s Season 40 premieres on October 4 with an epic hour from an American original, musician/songwriter Beck.


An all-star lineup of ACL royalty pays tribute to the show's enduring legacy with unforgettable music performances in Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years. Highlights of the special include the show opener as Bonnie RaittAlabama Shakes' Brittany HowardJimmie Vaughan and Gary Clark Jr. team up for the Sam & Dave classic “Wrap It Up”. Incredible pairings include ACL Hall of Fame legend Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris on the Nelson-penned classic “Crazy” and Kris Kristofferson and Sheryl Crow's moving take on his signature “Me and Bobby McGee”. The Foo Fighters honor ACL with a wild rendition of Texas cult hero Roky Erickson's "Two Headed Dog," recorded at the show's original television studio especially for the occasion. Host Jeff Bridges performs the late singer-songwriter Stephen Bruton's song “What A Little Bit of Love Can Do” as a tribute to the influential Austin musician who inspired Bridges’ Oscar-winning portrayal in Crazy Heart. Local legends Joe Ely and Robert Earl Keen showcase their troubadour roots and significance to the Austin music scene. Breakout artists and ACL alumni Alabama Shakes and Gary Clark Jr. give blistering performances that forecast the future of the series. Blues titan Buddy Guy brings it all home with an electrifying take on his “Mary Had A Little Lamb”. The special comes to a close with an all-star reading of two Lone Star classics—a stellar lineup of guitar slingers blaze through the Stevie Ray Vaughan standard “Texas Flood” and the biggest names in music trade verses on the Buddy Holly classic “Not Fade Away", as ACL embraces its past and hints at what is to come.

"This is a huge milestone for us,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, “and this show captures the essence of what Austin City Limits is all about. We set the bar high for this celebration, and we exceeded it! The lineup of talent speaks volumes about the respect that artists have for ACL.”

Artists performing on the special are: Alabama Shakes, Doyle Bramhall II, Jeff Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Double Trouble, Joe Ely, Mike Farris, Foo Fighters, Grupo Fantasma, Buddy Guy, Emmylou Harris, Robert Earl Keen, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Randolph, Kenny Wayne Shepherd andJimmie Vaughan.

Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years was taped at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, and the program's original television studio, Austin PBS station KLRU's Studio 6A.

Austin City Limits (ACL) is the longest-running music series in American television history and remains the only TV series to be awarded the National Medal of Arts. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the pilot episode taped in 1974 with Willie Nelson. Since its inception, the pioneering music series has become an institution that's helped secure Austin's reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.

Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years setlist:
Bonnie Raitt, Brittany Howard, Jimmie Vaughan & Gary Clark Jr. | “Wrap It Up”
Bonnie Raitt | “Your Good Thing (Is About to End)”
Kris Kristofferson & Sheryl Crow | “Me and Bobby McGee”
Alabama Shakes | “Gimme All Your Love”
Jeff Bridges | “What A Little Bit of Love Can Do”
Willie Nelson | “Whiskey River”
Willie Nelson & Lyle Lovett | “Funny How Time Slips Away”
Willie Nelson & Emmylou Harris | “Crazy”
Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris & Lyle Lovett | “On the Road Again”
Robert Earl Keen & Joe Ely | “The Road Goes On Forever”
Gary Clark Jr. | “Bright Lights”
Foo Fighters | “Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)”
Sheryl Crow |“Can't Cry Anymore”
Doyle Bramhall & Sheryl Crow | “I'm Leaving”
Grupo Fantasma | “Mulato”
Jimmie Vaughan & Bonnie Raitt | “The Pleasure's All Mine”
Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Mike Farris | “House Is Rockin'”
Robert Randolph | “Pride and Joy”
Buddy Guy | “Mary Had A Little Lamb”
All-Star Finale | “Texas Flood”
All-Star Finale | “Not Fade Away”

ACL is produced by KLRU-TV and funding is provided in part by Budweiser, the Austin Convention Center Department, Dell and HomeAway. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.


Tony-Winning 'Frozen' star Idina Menzel to release Christmas album, 'Holiday Wishes,' on Oct. 14 on Warner Bros. Records 

Burbank, CA -Tony Award-winning singer/actor Idina Menzel will release a Christmas album, entitled Holiday Wishes, on October 14th on Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Grammy Award-winner Walter Afanasieff (Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey) and features such classic favorites as "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," as well as Joni Mitchell's Christmas-themed "River," one of Menzel's favorites. More info aboutHoliday Wishes, including the full track-listing and special guests, will be revealed soon.

Menzel's career has traversed stage, film, television, and music. She was most recently heard as Elsa in Disney's global box office smash Frozen, in which she sings the film's Oscar-winning song "Let It Go." After Menzel's performance of the multi-platinum song at the 86th annual Academy Awards, she made history as the first person with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting.

Menzel earned her first Tony nomination as Maureen in the Pulitzer Prize- winning musical Rent, and won the award for her performance as Elphaba in Wicked. Other notable roles include Rachel Berry's mother, Shelby Corcoran, on the hit television show Glee as well as starring opposite Susan Sarandon and Amy Adams in Disney'sEnchanted. Menzel starred in her own PBS special, Barefoot at the Symphony, with an accompanying live album of the same name, and her highly successful international concert tour recently included a sold-out performance at Radio City Music Hall. In addition to cast albums, Menzel's prolific recording career includes the solo albums I StandHere and Still I Can't Be Still.

Menzel can currently be seen on Broadway as Elizabeth in the original production If/Then, for which she earned critical acclaim and her third Tony nomination, and performed "Always Starting Over" from the musical at this year's Tony Awards.

www.idinamenzel.com


ZIGGY MARLEY TO RELEASE ITUNES EXCLUSIVE EP TITLED LIGHTHOUSE ON SEPTEMBER 30TH

4-TRACK EP INCLUDES RARE TRACK VERSIONS FROM FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM FLY RASTA

SECOND LEG OF US TOUR DATES BEGINS OCTOBER 11; ON SALE NOW!
Los Angeles, CA (September 3rd, 2014) – World renowned, six-time Grammy winner and Reggae icon Ziggy Marley will release a special 4-track EP titled LIGHTHOUSE as an iTunes exclusive on September 30th.   The EP will feature rare versions of tracks from Ziggy’s highly acclaimed fifth studio album FLY RASTA which released earlier this year, including live acoustic versions of “I Get Up,” and “I Don’t Want To Live On Mars” and a live full band concert recording of “Lighthouse.”  The studio version of “Lighthouse,” also included in the 4 track set, is scheduled to impact radio on September 29th

Marley will continue touring through the fall with a string of Canadian dates beginning September 29th in Calgary and will begin the second leg of his US tour starting October 11thin Hampton Beach, NH.  Ziggy’s US dates will also include major city stops in Atlanta, GA, Orlando, FL and Dallas, TX.  Tickets for most dates are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.  For further ticket purchase information, please visit ziggymarley.com.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES:

Dates:                   City:                                                       Venue:
9/29/14                Calgary, AB                                        Jack Singer Concert Hall
9/30/14                Edmonton, AB                                   Windspear Centre
10/2/14                Regina, SK                                           Regina Casino
10/3/14                Winnipeg, MB                                   Burton Cummings Theater
10/4/14                Thunder Bay, ON                             Thunder Bay Community Aud
10/6/14                Sault Ste Marie, ON                        Kiwanis Community Theater
10/7/14                North Bay, ON                                   Capitol Centre
10/8/14                Kingston, ON                                     Grand Theater
10/9/14                Kitchner, ON                                      Centre in the Square
10/11/14              Hampton Beach, NH                       Casino Ballroom
10/12/14              Bridgeport, CT                                   Klein Memorial Aud. 
10/13/14              Baltimore, MD                                   Baltimore Sound Stage
10/14/14              Newport News, VA                         Ferguson Center of the Arts
10/16/14              Myrtle Beach, SC                              House of Blues
10/17/14              Atlanta, GA                                         Variety Playhouse
10/18/14              Orlando, FL                                         The Plaza Live
10/19/14              Ponte Verdra Beach, FL Concert Hall (SOLD OUT)
10/21/14              New Orleans, LA                              House of Blues
10/22/14              Baton Rouge, LA                               Manship Theater
10/24/14              Dallas, TX                                             Granada Theater
10/25/14              New Braunfels, TX                           Gruene Hall (SOLD OUT)
10/26/14              Austin, TX                                            The Belmont
10/29/14              Santa Fe, NM                                     Santa Fe Community Center
10/31/14              Chandler, AZ                                      Wild Horse Casino
11/2/14                Anaheim, CA                                      City National Grove of Anaheim
11/6/14                San Francisco, CA                             The Fillmore
11/7/14                Redding, CA                                       Cascade Theater
11/8/14                Arcata, CA                                           John Can Duzer Theater
11/9/14                Napa, CA                                             The Uptown Theater

ABOUT ZIGGY MARLEY
A six-time Grammy winner, Emmy Winner, humanitarian, singer, songwriter and producer, Ziggy Marley has released twelve albums to much critical acclaim. His early immersion in music came at age ten when he sat in on recording sessions with his father, Bob Marley. As front man to Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers, the group released eight best-selling albums that garnered three Grammys, with such chart-topping hits as "Look Who’s Dancing," "Tomorrow People" and "Tumbling Down." Ziggy's first solo album, Dragonfly (RCA Records), was released in 2003. His second solo release, Love is My Religion (Tuff Gong Worldwide), won a Grammy in 2006 for “Best Reggae Album.” His third solo album, Family Time (Tuff Gong Worldwide), scored him a 5th Grammy award for “Best Children’s Album.”  In 2011, Ziggy released his critically acclaimed 4th studio album Wild And Free, which earned him a Grammy nomination, as well as his first ever comic book entitled MARIJUANAMAN.  Ziggy Marley Organics, a GMO-free product line including flavored coconut oils and hemp seed snacks, was started in 2012.  The products are distributed throughout the US and are available in over 1000 stores nationwide.  His 2012 live album “Ziggy Marley In Concert,” recently earned him his 6th Grammy award for “Best Reggae Album.”  Ziggy also recently released his debut children’s book “I Love You Too,” a coproduction of Akashic Books and Tuff Gong Worldwide.  The multicultural picture book is based on one of Ziggy’s most beloved songs of the same title from his Grammy Award-winning album “Family Time,” which explores a child’s relationship with parents, nature and the unstoppable force of love.  Ziggy’s fifth studio album, “Fly Rasta,” also released on April 15th, 2014 to mass critical acclaim.


For more information, please visit:

ABOUT TUFF GONG WORLDWIDE
The Tuff Gong label was founded in 1965 by Bob Marley with the vision of producing, distributing and promoting his music free from the constraints of corporate label politics. In a time decades before artist-owned record labels were commonplace, the legendary Bob Marley’s vision was characteristically well ahead of its time. Now, nearly a half-century later, his dream is being realized.  For more information, visit http://www.tuffgongworldwide.com.

1 comment:

newwavegeo said...

Sounds like a stellar lineup for ACL's 40th. I'll have to set my DVR and watch, for sure.