Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps

Subject: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: JedMarum
Date: 29 Oct 00 - 10:34 PM

Occasionally on a Sunday evening I look forward to catching Austin City Limits on my local PBS station. Tonight was one of those occasions I hoped to sit and enjoy some good music on TV, but I was disappointed. It seems they have fallen into the hands of music industry star maker machinery. Two super trendy, "I can sing like the real ones" sorta acts - all image, no imagination were on the bill.

It occurred to me that maybe I was just be old, crusty and grumpy - but then I realized I was right; a couple of rehashed acts with younger players. There's so much good music out there, developing right under the noses of the star makers .... when will they figure out they can't make it happen? They just need to get better at recognizing it.

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: JedMarum
Date: 29 Oct 00 - 10:48 PM

Oh, I almost forgot to explain the title for this thread; you see as I tried to watch the first act a few times, over the first 15 or so minutes it occured to me that this artist was more believable as a daytime soap star, then a Bonnie Raitt wanna be.

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: Thyme2dream
Date: 29 Oct 00 - 10:52 PM

Jed, was it that blonde female in the leather pants tryin to act cool?? I agree, not impressed...but don't give up on ACL, they still do some great stuff.

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: JedMarum
Date: 29 Oct 00 - 11:15 PM

ACL has been a great show over the years. I certainly wouldn't give up on it. And yes, the blonde babe in her best "don't I sound like someone else?" sorta voice really turned me off. Maybe I am just a bit crochety!

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: Gary T
Date: 29 Oct 00 - 11:52 PM

I caught a bit of it last night (our local PBS station shows Austin City Limits on Saturday); it was Shelby Lynne. I was disappointed, mainly because I remember her voice knocking me out years ago when she sang on a chart hit for George Jones ("If I Could Bottle This Up") while still in her teens. She doesn't need to strut her stuff or put on a persona, she's got (at least had) the vocal chops. Another one ground up and spit out by the corporate music machine, I'm afraid.

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: Thyme2dream
Date: 29 Oct 00 - 11:57 PM

Whew, an I thought it was just me being jealous cos I don't look like that in leather britches!

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: Ely
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 09:25 PM

I take it on an episode-by-episode basis. I've seen some really good stuff on there, and I've also seen stuff that sent me running for my Hank Williams as an antidote. I think I can be as old and crusty as anybody and I'm younger than the *shudder* Dixie Chicks.

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: Matt_R
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 09:27 PM

I think the Old 97's were on one night and I MISSED them! Arg!

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 02:09 AM

By accident I caught just the end of Bela Fleck a few weeks ago. Earl Scruggs came on for the last couple of songs. I gotta start reading TV guide.

--seed

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 05:48 PM

Sometime I find that perception of who the artist is keeps me from listening to the music. Some of the ACL acts mentioned here are good examples of that weird effect.

I didn't care much for the Dixie Chicks until I read an article about them in Acoustic Guitar magazine. It turns out that they were a legit family-based bluegrass band before they jumped into the Nashville star making machinery; they actually fought to play on their own album (in a lot of cases the touring band sits on the sidelines, while the Nashville studio mafia lays down the tracks). Reading the article gave me a different level of respect for their music.

Both Shelby Lynne and Kelly Willis are always touted by the "alt.country" crowd. I expected both of them to be a lot better than they were when I saw them. Old '97 also gets a lot of that "alt.country" buzz, and I've heard them and don't find anything there I haven't heard before.

I don't think it's us getting old and crotchety; I think some of these young, highly touted acts just can't live up to their press.

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: Jed at Work
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 05:53 PM

Dixie Chick used to play the Sons of Hermann Hall too, here in Dallas ... therefore they must be cool!

I caught a Bella Fleck ACL show taped by a friend, and I really enjoyed it. ACl has, without a doubt, had some of the best acoustic based music ever - and it's a great show. I am not usually so crusty that I start a thread about one show I disliked - musta been the position of the moon and stars, or something!

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 01:09 PM

I also thought the Bela Fleck ACL was great. If you only caught the portion when Earl Scruggs was on, you missed the best part of it. Earl has had a huge impact on the music, and deserves all the praise that comes his way, but the guys (Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bryan Sutton, Vassar Clements, a few others that escape me) really played better when left to their own devices.

However, I thought the opening set by Wilco was pretty lame. But if you want to see good music in a setting that lets the musicians play it their own way, you have to accept the ups and downs.

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: Wesley S
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 01:35 PM

Two things I'd like to add. Something I've always enjoyed about Austin City Limits is that you can tell musicians help pick out some of the camera angles. Nothing I hate more than to see a good musician on a TV show and all you get is closeups of the persons face. I want to see their hands dammit, and what those hands are doing on the instrument.

And second - I got to see the Dixie Chicks many times when they first got started. The old band was nothing like the new one. I think it's safe to say that a lot of Mudcatters would have enjoyed the old bands mix of western swing and bluegrass. They played it well and were easy on the eyes to boot.

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: richlmo
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 09:29 PM

The N.C. public TV stations don't seem to think Austin City Limits should come on until at least 11:00 pm or later. The older I get, that may be after my bedtime!

I really used to love Saturday nights on Public TV and the Nashville Network. Lots of good acoustic music. Austin City Limits, Nashville Skyline, Lonesome Pine Special, The Bobby Bare Show, Fire on the Mountain.Not to mention all of the specials on Doc Watson and other concert type shows.

Different world.

Subject: RE: Austin City Limits vs. Daytime Soaps
From: L R Mole
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 10:38 AM

Well...no free lunch. The depresing trend everywhere, from Rolling Stone to PBS, seems to be price exacted in the form of amateurs, poseurs, and tedium to get to see and hear what one would like.At least ads can be skipped over: I'd almost rather have them than the everlasting Public Television beg-a-thons (give us your money, double your money from Uncle Chumpie's friendly capitalism-o-rama, get a tote bag and an umbrella and a tape of what you're about to see, if you can endure the next ten minutes of tinny phone ringing and fatuous chat). Wait a week, though. No more public anything, begged-for or not.