Austin City Limits Appearance is Well-Deserved Opportunity for Turnpike Troubadours
⇓Watch the taping below⇓
The Turnpike Troubadours will finally get their own appearance on Austin City Limits. The revered, longest-running music television program taped live at Austin’s Moody Theater has chosen the Oklahoma-based band for the final episode of ACL‘s 43rd Season.
This is a huge honor for a band that’s been making big waves in the Texas and Red Dirt music scene for nearly a decade, including packing Austin’s Moody Theater for regular gigs. This will be the band’s first opportunity at a national broadcast, and is well-deserved considering the size of their following, and the influence they have in the Texoma music scene.
The band will tape the episode on December 5th, and for those who can’t be there in person, the episode will be streaming live worldwide starting at 8pm CT/9 pm ET. The episode will air at some point in 2018.
Turnpike’s latest record, A Long Way From Your Heart, debuted at #3 on the Billboard Country Albums chart upon its release on October 20th, with strong sales behind the critically-acclaimed effort that continues to place the band near the very top of independent country music. Signed with Thirty Tigers, and with little help from radio beyond regional play in Oklahoma and Texas, they continue to show what quality music and grassroots efforts can result in, regularly packing large venues in the region, while their prestige continues to grow across the country.
Also announced for Season 43 is Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, who will tape his episode on November 27th. Though Austin City Limits is sometimes criticized for not featuring enough actual Austin and Texas artists, the 2nd half of the Season 43 taping has picked up for locals, including Shinyribs, who taped his appearance on October 29th. Frontman Kevin Russell’s last appearance on the show was in 2007 as a member of The Gourds. Also of note in country and roots, Chris Stapleton taped an episode on October 23rd that will also air in Season 43.
November 10, 2017 @ 7:29 pm
“with little help from radio beyond regional play in Oklahoma and Texas”
True, but I did hear them on contemporary country radio a few times when I lived in Illinois. And that was four years ago.
November 10, 2017 @ 9:06 pm
Cool.
November 10, 2017 @ 9:28 pm
Well deserved and glad to hear it!!
November 10, 2017 @ 9:40 pm
Just saw them last night, my first show to include songs from the new album, then got the notification about this ACL taping on my 3-hour drive this morning! Beyond thrilled for them!
November 10, 2017 @ 10:10 pm
This may be the first time I’ll purposefully turn in ACL in a few years. They’ve had some really weird stuff on there the last several times I tuned in.
November 11, 2017 @ 9:46 am
Same here. I think this last season was the first time I haven’t watch an ACL taping at all. Shinyribs, Stapleton and TT, finally a reason to watch again.
November 10, 2017 @ 10:22 pm
Turnpike Troubadours are amazing!!! Come back to Maryland/ DC SOON!!! Love the new album!
MarylandSoonersPhan
November 10, 2017 @ 11:25 pm
Watch the Austin City Limits FB and Twitter feeds for an announcement later this month to enter to win free tickets to the taping on the 5th. Tapings are by drawing and, to my knowledge, always free.
November 10, 2017 @ 11:35 pm
Gotcha, thanks!
November 11, 2017 @ 5:49 pm
Watched the movie Wind River last night which had the entire score composed by Nick Cave except for a song playing on the radio in the background – Diamonds and Gasoline.
November 11, 2017 @ 6:47 pm
This is great news- very well deserved.
November 12, 2017 @ 3:49 pm
Trigger, I caught your little “Texoma” reference above. I noticed you stated with dismay in the Blake Shelton review that that term would have been a good one, specifically more succinct, to Ference the Texas Red Dirt Scene and that we’re dissapointed Shelton had appropriated it. Nice way to recapture it for you own preferred use; start sliding it in to your articles on red dirt bands and the red dirt scene to make it the standard term. I am sure it will become the norm once you use it 2 or 3 more times!
November 12, 2017 @ 4:56 pm
I appreciate your optimism, but I think “Texoma” was dead on arrival. Who knows, maybe it will catch on, but I haven’t had much luck yet. I was calling “Bro-Country” “checklist country” for 2 or 3 years before that phrase was coined. I wrote multiple articles on it calling out the trend, and everyone basically ignored it. Then some hipster writing for Vulture who doesn’t even cover country mentioned it in passing, and now “Bro-Country” is in Merraim Webster. Go figure.
November 13, 2017 @ 8:24 am
Thrilled to see this news. Turnpike and Austin City Limits are a natural pairing, and I expect them to knock it out of the park.
November 13, 2017 @ 8:43 am
Not to mention Parker McCollum is opening for Them during this taping. That is two of the brightest stars in Texas at one concert for anyone who can see them live I am extremely jealous . Cant wait for this two be aired. If your not watching this then why are you even on this website.
November 13, 2017 @ 6:23 pm
Just listened to new album. I’m picky but wow not a weak cut anywhere. Seems like their musicianship is reaching new levels or the arrangements make it sound so.
Love ACL also. First heard of a bunch of acts on the show I still follow.
I wanna go home with the armadilla.
December 5, 2017 @ 9:56 pm
Thanks for posting this. I would of had no idea if I didn’t happened to see it on twitter