1996 Lisa Loeb followed by Jimmy LaFave Austin City Limits paired up two of popular music's most inventive young performers, Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories followed by Jimmy LaFave, for an evening of acoustic ballads and electrified folk-rock numbers during Season 21 on PBS. Lisa Loeb made music history in the summer of '94 when her single "Stay (I Missed You)" hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts without the advantage most popular musicians have: a record deal. The single, released on the movie soundtrack for Reality Bites, became certified gold and earned Loeb and her band Nine Stories a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Group or Duo. When her debut album, Tails, hit the stores, she proved that "Stay" was only a tasty sample of her talent. Loeb launched her Austin City Limits performance with the lovelorn, ephemeral hit single "Do You Sleep?" A poised and passionate performer, she is propelled by her songs' lyrical content and mood. While several of Loeb's songs became pop radio and MTV favorites, Austin City Limits offered a more thorough picture of this masterful songwriter. "The good thing about Austin City Limits is that it does have a wide audience, it's not just for young kids in their teens or people in college. It's also for people who are interested in songwriting and songwriters, sometimes that has more of a country characteristic to it," Loeb explained. "I think I play a little bit more rock or pop music, but it is nice to sort of get back to the songwriters side of my music. By having an album out and having songs on the radio people often times think of you as the couple of songs you have on the radio, they don't think of you as a songwriter, or as a person who has a lot more depth than two songs or whatever they see on MTV. So hopefully Austin City Limits will be helpful to show that other side again, the songwriter side." Raised in Dallas, Texas, and a graduate of Brown University, Loeb honed her singing and songwriting as a college student. After graduation she moved to New York City where she played in coffeehouses and underground clubs, riveting audiences with her dynamic guitar and resonant voice. While "Stay" was the first piece of the puzzle, Tails offers a more complete picture of this enigmatic performer. "It's bizarre how "Stay" got separated from the rest of my songs," she says. "I'm glad it's back with the others on this record; now everyone can see how it fits into the big picture." Since his debut album, Austin Skyline, Austin-based musician Jimmy LaFave has found a home with audiences around the world. From Austin to New Zealand, fans embrace LaFave's soulful ballads and passionate rock tunes. His Austin City Limits debut reintroduced him to audiences at home. "All over the world, people ask me about Austin City Limits," LaFave said. "Everywhere I go people are asking 'When are you going to be on Austin City Limits?' "Especially in Europe, Austin music is so popular," he said. "I think it's because it's so genuine." LaFave could be describing himself. His album, Buffalo Return to the Plains, earned rave reviews for its inspired compositions and impassioned delivery. Although he clearly has a penchant for Dylan, his self-confessed idol, he owes his style to a potpourri of artists from Van Morrison to Chuck Berry. Backed by his band, the Night Tribe, his no-holds-barred performances leave audiences reeling from the emotion injected into every note. Contrasting his tough, no-nonsense look on stage, LaFave emerged an expressive and romantic balladeer. With songs such as Bob Dylan's "Sweetheart Like You" and originals including "Buffalo Return to the Plains," this Lone Star singer found his groove on Austin City Limits. Plus he has an imaginative talent for reworking a familiar song, such as the '60s pop hit "Walk Away Renee," into something new and memorable. LaFave began his music career in the bars of Stillwater, Okla., where he was a local favorite alongside then-unknown singer Garth Brooks. "Garth went to Nashville, and I went to Austin," he explains. "I've always kind of done things on my own terms." He enjoys the creative freedom afforded by Bohemia Beat, the small, independent record label he helps run. "You can make plenty of people happy musically, and you stay closer to your fan base," he said. "You can talk to fans, you're not whisked away in a limousine with 20 security guys. Nobody tunes our guitars for us, you can keep your feet on the ground. It's fine with me."