'Austin City Limits' Kicks Off 36th Season With Jimmy Cliff

Coming to a PBS station near you this Saturday, Oct. 2, is the 36th Season of 'Austin City Limits.' Reggae pioneer Jimmy Cliff. Spoon, comedian/banjo enthusiast Steve Martin, Rosanne Cash, John Legend and the Roots and Trombone Shorty are all slated to appear over the first eight episodes. The season will be rounded out with Sonic Youth, the Black Keys, the National, Monsters of Folk and Band of Horses, who will all tape episodes when they're in town for the Austin City Limits Music Festival beginning Oct. 8.

"There's been a whole generational shift this year," Austin City Limits executive producer Terry Lickona tells Spinner. "I was thrilled to see Jimmy Cliff step up on our stage. He wasn't in Austin when he taped our show -- he made a special trip in. It said it reminded him of when he played Austin for the first time, which I thought was pretty cool."

Over the years, 'Austin City Limits' has become synonymous with an eclectic showcase of musical genres, from jam bands like Phish and Widespread Panic to classic country acts like Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett and more recent indie acts like Bright Eyes and Guided by Voices. Recently though, the show's dipped into hip-hop, starting with last year's taping of Mos Def and K'Naan. Lickona's excited to continue in that direction this year, with the performance of John Legend and the Roots.

"It's a project that probably has a lot of people scratching their heads, but I was really impressed with the music when I first heard it, enough to book the show immediately," he recalls. "And when I asked ?uestlove what it felt like to tape 'Austin City Limits,' he completely surprised me. He said he'd been an 'ACL' geek for years and coming to tape our show was one of his top three musical experiences of his career. I didn't ask what the other two were."

Recently, the studio became part of the the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Landmark Series in honor of its history. But after a long tenure within the famed studio 6A on the University of Texas campus, the show is set to move to a new, modern setup in downtown Austin next year, thus making this year's performers part of a bittersweet season. The initial lineup of Austin City Limits' 36th Season is as follows:

Oct. 2: Jimmy Cliff
Oct. 9: Spoon
Oct. 16: Patty Griffin & Friends
Oct. 23: Alejandro Escovedo / Trombone Shorty
Oct. 30: Robert Earl Keen / Hayes Carll
Nov. 6: Steve Martin / Sarah Jarosz
Nov. 13: Rosanne Cash / Brandi Carlile
Nov. 20: John Legend & The Roots