| Author |
Topic: Austin City Limits |
David Turner
From:
Auburn, California USA
|
Posted 26 Feb 2005 12:40 am |
|
I remember when Austin City Limits featured Country Music.
No longer? |
|
|
 |
Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
|
Posted 26 Feb 2005 10:00 am
|
|
| We can't have those Christian white people playing their own cultural music on T.V.!!!! Somebody get me the producer and let me explain to him that if they are going to have a music show on T.V. its either got to be blues or rock. Oh, the thought of it!! [This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 26 February 2005 at 10:01 AM.] |
|
|
|
Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
|
Posted 26 Feb 2005 11:50 am
|
|
Guys, before you start the persecuted white Christian rap litany, let me offer a few thoughts from someone who's done a few ACL's, and lives in the town where it's produced, and know some of the folks who create the show.
First, ACL can be considered a mirror of what's popular in the City of Austin, and country music hasn't been a major music in this town for a LONG, LONG, TIME!
Where there was once at least a dozen clubs inside the city limits where country music could be heard to good crowds any night of the week, there's now only 2 dedicated to "real" country music. And the crowds can be spotty at those. Then there are a couple of places that book all kinds of Americana type musics; rockabilly, blues, Alt-country, trad-country, folk.
Most all the country-type venues are out in the hinterlands, the countryside outside of town anywhere from 20 to 60 miles away from the "city limits."
For the most part, the crowds clamoring for music in the clubs of the "live music capital of the world," as my town so facetiously and hypocritically refers to itself (IMHO), are seeking hard rock, hip-hop, urban, jazz, whatever musics. But hoss, it sure ain't country.
Secondly, ACL is an expensive show to produce by PBS standards, and to attract much of this money the show has to attract stations whose viewership contributes money to those stations based on what they want to watch. Most people in the ACL demographic today want to watch pop and rock acts. They vote with their pocketbooks and telephone pledges. The people who creat the show want it to be watched by the greatest number of people. Ergo: rock and pop.
From the sidelines here, it looks like the party line is that the Gaylord-types sold out country (Opry, TNN) because they were money-grubbing capitalists... which is great to be except when the ox of the dwindling number of country music fans gets gored. In the case of PBS, will it be because they're Godless Communists? 
------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
|
|
|
|
Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
|
Posted 26 Feb 2005 12:55 pm
|
|
Sshhh....I'm channeling the spirit of Henry Ford. He'll know what to do!
Man, white folks crack me up! |
|
|
|
Smiley Roberts
From:
Hendersonville,Tn. 37075
|
Posted 26 Feb 2005 1:30 pm
|
|
| Quote: |
| ...there was once at least a dozen clubs inside the city limits where country music could be heard... |
Herbster,
We,once,played the "El Paso Cattle Co." on Houston St.,in Austin,back in the mid-70's. I remember it well,because Willie came in that night,& T.O. just wanted to acknowledge his presence,but Willie took it as an invitation to "sit-in",& that,he did. He jumped up on stage,grabbed T.O.'s guitar,& did about 20 mins. That was my one,& only time to play behind Willie Nelson. But,then again,I digress. Is that club still there?
What's it called now?
------------------
~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.
www.ntsga.com
|
|
|
|
Eric West
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.
|
Posted 26 Feb 2005 2:05 pm
|
|
I remember seeing John Mayall on ACL once. I thought the Blues Breakers were phenomenal, but JM was pleading for euthanasia in his own way.
I think it's appropriate for ACL to feature the type of music thats popular in Austin. The crowds look pretty genuine to me.
There's a lot to be said for Godless Communists. We've gotten some of our best music from them.
I don't even know what a "Gaylord" is, besides top country stars hanging out with their boyfriends on lower Broadway..
It'll be soon that watching music clips will be much like listening to the type of music that you enjoy. I think it is now, but nobody's realised how easy it is.
Pretty soon, we'll all be self pursecuted.
Some people won't know what to do.
HST appearantly couldn't come to grips with it.
If they want me to listen to it, they've got to give me a reason. If they don't, I'm perfectly happy with finding my own sources.
EJL |
|
|
|
Colm Chomicky
From:
Kansas, (Prairie Village)
|
Posted 26 Feb 2005 2:36 pm
|
|
| Wonder if they still serve free beer to the audience. Last time I went about 1980 they served free Lone Star |
|
|
|
Frank Parish
From:
Nashville,Tn. USA
|
Posted 26 Feb 2005 3:28 pm
|
|
| I drank a bottle of Lone Star once and it ain't worth free! JMHO |
|
|
|
Ernie Renn
From:
Brainerd, Minnesota USA
|
|
|
|
Lem Smith
From:
Long Beach, MS
|
Posted 26 Feb 2005 5:28 pm
|
|
Thanks for the link, Ernie. I signed up for it. Sounds like it ought to be a GREAT show!
Lem |
|
|
|
David Turner
From:
Auburn, California USA
|
Posted 27 Feb 2005 1:51 am
|
|
quote:
First, ACL can be considered a mirror of what's popular in the City of Austin, and country music hasn't been a major music in this town for a LONG, LONG, TIME!
I thought Austin City Limits was seen nationally on PBS. |
|
|
|
Ernie Renn
From:
Brainerd, Minnesota USA
|
|
|
|
Theresa Galbraith
From:
Goodlettsville,Tn. USA
|
Posted 27 Feb 2005 4:18 am
|
|
Austin City Limits is on PBS.
|
|
|
|
Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
|
Posted 27 Feb 2005 10:46 am
|
|
David, I hope you caught Buck Reid just laying it down with Lyle Lovett on last night's show. I'm sure it'll be rebroadcast if you missed it.
------------------
Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com
|
|
|
|
Andy Greatrix
From:
Edmonton Alberta
|
Posted 27 Feb 2005 11:22 am
|
|
| I caught Michael MacDonold on ACL the other night. His band was awesome and he sang his butt off. I've always been partial to good drummers, and he had a lady drummer that had all the talent in the world. She dug a trench ten feet deep and ten feet wide. |
|
|
|
Piney Woods
From:
Lawrence, KS, USA
|
Posted 28 Feb 2005 2:56 pm
|
|
R.E. Mr.Hatton's reply 'we can't have those Christian white people playing their own cultural music on T.V.', I hope you were being tongue in cheek. I think Mr. Steiner is probably correct on this one. If your statement was serious,well, it's hard to know where to start. Why do you assume that non-country musicians aren't Christian (or that country musicians are)? Also, I've been trying to follow Jesus for a long time now and I can't think of any group in America that is LESS oppressed than white Christian males. Personally, I think so-called Christian leaders are just trying to make Christians think they're oppressed so they can make $$ off of them to feed their own un-Christian political aspirations. And, anyhow, what are so many people complaining about--didn't Jesus say his followers should expect to be persecuted?
Sorry to make this about religion; I wish ACL still had more C&W,too, but you have to give the people what they want. And, as G.W. Bush said a few weeks ago, if you don't like what's on the TV, turn it off. Hope I didn't offend anyone.[This message was edited by Piney Woods on 28 February 2005 at 02:57 PM.] |
|
|
|
Bill McCloskey
|
Posted 28 Feb 2005 3:52 pm
|
|
I lived in Austin in the early 80's and back then there wasn't much of a country scene that I was aware of. It was a lot of alternative folk, blues, rock, punk, etc. but not much country.
I used to play in club called Emma Joes where people like Lucinda Williams, Butch Hancock, Townes Van Zandt, and Blaze Foley used to hang out. It was Townes guitarist, Mickey White, who invited me down and helped me get my first gigs there.
Big bands at the time where folks like Uncle Walt's band.
None of this was what I would call country, or at least traditional country. And all of it showed up on Austin City Limits. I don't remember ACL ever having a lot of country acts for the 20 some years I've been watching it. |
|
|
|
David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
|
Posted 1 Mar 2005 3:29 am
|
|
| I lived in Austin in the early 80's too, small world. Asleep at the Wheel and Willie Nelson used to play down at the summer river festival, but I remember it as a heavy blues town. Antones, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, I used to go to the most god-awful dive bar down the street from my house called the Continental Club to see a kid named Stevie Ray play guitar for a couple bucks cover charge. |
|
|
|
Bill McCloskey
|
Posted 1 Mar 2005 5:11 am
|
|
I remember seeing Stevie there. In fact I took over his apartment when he moved out.
Who was the 13 year old kid that used to open for him: little something something. He was fabulous, but don't know what ever happened to him. |
|
|
|
Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
|
Posted 1 Mar 2005 6:59 am
|
|
| Quote: |
| Who was the 13 year old kid that used to open for him: little something something. He was fabulous, but don't know what ever happened to him. |
He was "Little Charlie," who morphed into Charlie Sexton, rock guitarist who worked with David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and Double Trouble after the passing of SRV.
------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
|
|
|
|
seldomfed
From:
Colorado
|
|
|
|
Mark Herrick
From:
Bakersfield, CA
|
Posted 1 Mar 2005 11:58 am
|
|
| Quote: |
| I used to go to the most god-awful dive bar down the street from my house called the Continental Club... |
As dive bars go, nothing could beat The One Nite. Especially when a fight would break out and someone comes diving across your table with a knife...
------------------
|
|
|
|
