Public parking available in the AT&T Center underground garage (entrance on 20th Street on north side of bldg.) or at the Dobie Center  Parking Garage (21st Street @ Whitis)

It may not seem like it these days, but in the music business, perseverance pays off. Consider Aimee Mann. The Virginia-born, Berklee School of Music-trained musician had a hit in the 80s right out of the box with her band ‘til Tuesday’s debut single “Voices Carry,” but it’s her journey as a solo artist that’s ultimately gained the most attention. After 1993’s Whatever and 1995’s I’m With Stupid, her first two solo albums, attracted reams of critical acclaim but few sales, Mann left the major label system behind for good. Befriending film director Paul Thomas Anderson, she made significant contributions to his infamous movie Magnolia, including the Grammy- and Oscar-nominated “Save Me.” Mann then started her own label Superego Records, through which she’s released three studio albums, a Christmas record and a live CD/DVD set. She’s found more success than ever before and become a model for artists who want to do it themselves. With her colorfully-titled latest LP @#%&*! Smilers in hand, at long last Mann brings her intelligent, intricately arranged modern pop to the Austin City Limits stage.

Filtering old-fashioned, song-based folk rock through an indie rock lens, Iron & Wine (AKA songwriter Sam Beam) has in the last half decade become one of the most acclaimed and beloved outfits in contemporary music. Raised in Columbia, South Carolina, Beam earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in film. After years of making his living as a film professor in Miami, his career path changed when one of his demos found its way to Sub Pop; the label’s president personally contacted him and offered a deal. Compiled from demo tapes, Iron & Wine’s starkly arranged 2002 debut album The Creek Drank the Cradle made the critical community sit up and take notice. 2004’s Our Endless Numbered Days followed, fleshing out Beam’s music with contributions from other musicians and garnering even more positive notices and a growing audience. After a couple of EPs, a contribution (“Such Great Heights”) to the popular Garden State soundtrack and a much-loved collaboration with kindred spirits Calexico, in 2007 Iron & Wine released The Sheperd’s Dog, Beam’s most lush, varied and accomplished collection yet. Having graced the ACL stage once before as a special guest of Calexico in Season 32, the now Wimberley-based Beam brings his graceful ensemble to Studio 6A for the ACL debut of Iron & Wine.

- Michael Toland

About the Reviewer: Michael Toland is manager of national productions for KLRU and contributes music reviews to several online and print publications.

Oliver Dimsdale stars as Louis Trevelyan, a handsome man of high principles and deep insecurities, in part two of Anthony Trollope’s “He Knew He Was Right” on Masterpiece Theatre at 8 p.m. Sunday.

Masterpiece Contemporary at 9:30 p.m. Sunday tells the surprising story of Mary Whitehouse and her David-and-Goliath type struggle with the BBC in the 60s in “Filth.”

American Experience at 8 p.m. Monday sheds light on John and Abigail Adams and the tumultuous times through which they lived.

Independent Lens at 10 p.m. Monday gives viewers an intimate look at war through the eyes of the first women in U.S. history sent into direct ground combat, despite a policy that bans them from doing so.

Nova at 7 p.m. Tuesday breaks exciting new ground in investigating the origins of the ancient Israelites, the evolution of their belief in one God and the creation of the Bible.

Independent Lens at 9 p.m. Tuesday follows the journey of three teens from the Swinomish Tribe who have been asked to make a film about the threat their people face from two local oil refineries.

True Whisperers: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers at 10 p.m. Tuesday explores the personal and heartfelt story of the men who were recruited to devise an unbreakable code during combat against the Japanese.

Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann debuts with tunes from her latest album and folk rockers Iron & Wine showcase their acclaimed The Sheperd’s Dog CD on Austin City Limits at 10 p.m. Wednesday and 11 p.m. Friday.

Texas Monthly Talks at 7 p.m. Thursday speaks with Susan Orlean, author of best-selling novel The Orchid Thief and writer of perceptive magazine profiles, a cookbook for dogs and now a children’s book called Lazy Little Loafers.

Docubloggers at 7:30 p.m. Thursday gears up for Thanksgiving with a profile of UT’s mascot just in time for the big game.

Downtown at 8 p.m. Thursday takes a look at some of Austin’s most iconic independent businesses.

Soundstage at 9 p.m. Thursday delivers a high energy, rousing performance of Bon Jovi’s new album, Lost Highway.

Austin City Limits at 7 p.m. Saturday brings Gnarls Barkley’s eccentric hip-hop and R&B sounds to the stage followed by psychedelic worldbeat electronica from Thievery Corporation’s new album, Radio Retaliation.

Meet artist Jared Dunten who sets an inspirational example of hope as he shares his dream of overcoming paralysis through painting.  Super Pal Universe and Make Productions share their community docublog about the pizzazz it takes to put together a rock ‘n’ roll band consisting of a group of talented kids plus mentor Sara Hickman.  Witness some of the mind-boggling inventions from this fall’s maker faire, and hear from some of the inventors. Author Alison Moore and musician Phil Lancaster present Riders on the Orphan Train throughout Texas communities, and they share how their personal lives resemble this historic event.

A new PBS series, Monarchy - The Royal Family at Work is about to debut on KLRU. Although I didn’t see the actual Royal Family doing much work in the first episode of this inside glimpse of the British Royal Palace, it was very interesting and sometimes comical to see how much work is done by others to accommodate the Queen and her entourage.

The first episode begins with an American photographer learning the rituals and formalities of royalty while attempting to keep a photo shoot of the Queen on schedule. The Queen’s schedule is in fact hectic, which is why watching her aides carrying out Her Majesty’s long awaited trip to America (Spring of 2007) makes my daily routine seem like a breeze. The work includes the planning of everything from table settings, hotel accommodations, and even weather conditions – which surprisingly they weren’t able to control.

Appearances by Virginia Governor, Tim Kaine (considered to have been on President-Elect Obama’s VP short list), Dick Cheney, and President Bush show the glaring differences between the Queen and our heads of state. As Governor Kaine guides the Queen through Jonestown and other Virginia sites, candid interviews provide humor in just how much work goes into something as simple as the Queen having lunch.

To those obsessed with the Royal Family (I know you’re out there), I can see Monarchy delivering the behind the scenes intrigue that you secretly crave. For those of us that don’t follow the goings on of the Royal Family, it was surprisingly fun and at times hilarious to see the lengths people will go to ensure Her Majesty has a pleasant time on her trip. In our country where politicians usually have a shelf life of 4 to 8 years, it’s pretty interesting to see an icon like Queen Elizabeth II reign for over 50 years and receive the admiration of so many followers throughout England and around the world. Overall, it’s definitely the most prestigious reality show I’ve seen to date.

The season premiere is immediately followed by the second installment of the series in which the Queen goes to Washington. One can only imagine what is in store for her there. It’s a pity she couldn’t make it down to Texas – maybe next time.

- Scott Randall

About the Reviewer: Scott Randall is the Marketing Editor for KLRU. In addition to editing videos and blogging for the station, he enjoys fruit smoothies, paperback books and Chuck Norris jokes.

Let me start off my first KLRU blog post by saying that as far as I know, I am officially KRLU’s first blogger under the age of 20.  As a college student at the University of Texas at Austin, I rarely have time to watch television.  (Though, I ALWAYS make time for an away Longhorn football game).  When at KLRU, I tag a significant amount of promos and often times see interesting segments that I would love to watch but never get the chance.  When I was asked to watch KLRU for work, I was frustrated because I didn’t think I would have time in my busy schedule.  I was then reminded that KLRU has many of their shows online and I can watch at my convenience.  You got to love the shift in KLRU to allow for the new emerging standard of time shifting via webcast!

Nova: Hunting the Hidden Dimension tells the story of the development of Fractals and their application into new fields of science.  For those of you who do not know what a Fractal is, it is a repetitive geometric pattern discovered by Benoit Mandelbrot in the 1950’s when he helped IBM solve the problem of transporting computer information via telephone lines (the early internet).  At first the Mandelbrot Set, as it was called, was refuted by many prominent mathematicians and knowledgeable people in Geometry.  This episode of Nova documents Mandelbrot’s efforts to have his new field of math accepted in addition to current standards at the time.

After watching Nova, I realized that we are surrounded by fractals.  From shirt designs to the miniature antennas in our cell phones, fractals are everywhere.  Scientists are currently doing research in fractals to detect cancer, heart disease and the amount of CO2 an entire rain forest could absorb.  Fractals have been used in special effects in movies to create more life-like graphics.  They can be viewed in the natural structures, from blood vessels to flowers.  You cannot escape the breadth of fractals.  Nova: Hunting the Hidden Dimension is a must see to better understand the world around us.  (Well in this case, it could even be considered the world inside us).

– Jared Kastriner

About the reviewer: Jared works in KLRU’s onair marketing department helping create the promos viewers see between programs. He is a business major at the University of Texas.

“We’re thrilled to have this partnership with KLRU,” said ALO General Director Kevin Patterson. “Opera is such a rich spectacle and to have it captured by someone as talented as Dutch Rall will make it a visual feast for an audience who may have never experienced the art form.”

Gioachino Rossini’s Cinderella will be presented at The Long Center for the Performing Arts November 8, 12, 14 & 16, 2008. KLRU will tape the November 12th performance of the production. The show will air on iNcoNtext.TV on PBS in early 2009. Tickets are currently on sale for Cinderella starting at $20 and can be purchased by calling (512) 472-5992 or online at www.AustinLyricOpera.org

iNcoNtext.TV recently won two Lone Star Emmy Awards. The show is produced by Dutch Rall, 3-time Emmy-winning producer, director, cinematographer and editor for America’s Public Broadcasting System (PBS). He has traveled the world as a soundman for bands and musicals, lectured for the National Press Photographers Association and was the winner of the World’s Smallest Film Festival, the very first competition for video on mobile devices. His commercial work includes shooting for AT&T’s Olympic campaign. Dutch is also working as the director of photography for a documentary about architect Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studio and producing performance films for various dance companies He was awarded the 2008 Austin Critics Table Award for best video design. His first independent feature film, The Incurable, is in the final stages of post production.

“Being allowed the opportunity to showcase the amazing work of ALO is an immense honor for us,” said Dutch Rall. “A collaborative and continuing effort between KLRU and ALO is something that I hope will benefit and enrich the entire community. Full-length, HD, locally-produced operas will be something Austin can be proud of.”

With all due respect to contemporary R&B, there’s a hunger for the old-fashioned, sweat-drenched, digitally unenchanced soul sounds of the 60s and 70s. Enter Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, the New York-based collective at the forefront of the soul revivalist movement. Influenced by Ike & Tina Turner, Otis Redding and especially James Brown, Jones spent years in the Big Apple doing session work and the occasional single, supporting herself by working as a corrections officer and armored car guard. By 2000, she hooked up with Daptone Records and its house band the Dap-Kings, a group made up of veterans of NYC soul/funk outfits Antibalas, the Soul Providers and the Mighty Imperials. She and the band have since released three albums and done numerous tours to great acclaim. In addition to their own work, the Dap-Kings provided much of the backup for Amy Winehouse on her album Back in Black, while Jones appeared in Denzil Washington’s film The Great Debaters. However, it’s tunes like “100 Days, 100 Nights?” and “How Do I Let a Good Man Down?” that best tell the band’s story.

Following the Austin City Limits debut of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings will be Carolyn Wonderland. She may not be a nationally-known figure (yet), but Carolyn is a bona-fide star in her home state of Texas. The Houston-bred, Austin-based triple threat – soulful singer, diverse songwriter, fiery guitarist – has been tearing up the stages and roadhouses of the Lone Star state and beyond for well over a decade. In that time she’s taken her flexible blues rock sound on the road with Buddy Guy and Johnny Winter, sat in with Los Lobos and Robert Earl Keen and jammed with Bob Dylan and mentor Ray Benson. The Asleep at the Wheel leader also produced and released Miss Understood, the latest of her seven CDs. We’re proud to help vault a Texas treasure into the national spotlight with the ACL debut of Carolyn Wonderland.

-Michael Toland

About the reviewer: Michael Toland is manager of national productions for KLRU and contributes music reviews to several online and print publications.