Singer-songwriter Kevin Peroni began composing heartfelt indie melodies reminiscent of The Shins meets early Posies under the band’s moniker in 2005. Since then, Peroni has inducted three additional members to help Wiretree excel in lacing tracks with infectious hooks and choruses reminding us of an orchestrated Tom Petty-esque pomp and circumstance. The collective’s latest LP, Luck, has been included on various year-end lists and incorporates a variety of classic influences to produce an endearing yet simplistic indie pop masterpiece. Powerpop Station describes Luck as “a collection of pop gems of rare beauty, a panel revealing an inspired artist, a pill filled with good feelings” while Blurt Magazine praises its “underground-tinted ’80s stylings and latterday indie rock with a distinctive anthemic edge.” With the assured grace of Elliott Smith-like vocals and Peroni’s acoustic innocence, the album assures to provoke a bright and enjoyable musical experience.

EVENT CELEBRATES COMPLETION OF MOODY THEATER & UNVEILING OF NEW STAGE & BACKDROP FOR ICONIC AUSTIN CITY LIMITS TV SERIES

STEVE MILLER BAND HEADLINES EVENING

Austin, TX — KLRU invites Austin to a world-class celebration on Thursday, February 24, 2011 for the grand opening of the Moody Theater’s AUSTIN CITY LIMITS Stage. City leaders, cultural icons, community philanthropists, business executives and music fans, will join together as the legendary KLRU-produced, PBS series moves to a new state-of-the-art venue.

Opening Night ushers the legendary show to its new stage with a special performance by Steve Miller Band and the unveiling of a newly created Austin city skyline backdrop.

Lauded rock guitarist Steve Miller and his band have been inspiring fans for more than four decades with Miller’s unique brand of rousing American rock ‘n’ roll. His catalog includes 17 studio albums and multiple hit singles including “The Joker,” “Take The Money and Run,” “Jet Airliner,” “Abracadabra” and more.

The new stage backdrop is a much-anticipated modernized rendition of the television series’ previous backdrop which brought the Austin skyline into viewers’ homes since its adoption in 1981. According to series Executive Producer Terry Lickona, the new backdrop represents Austin’s current skyline while still highlighting the celebrated University of Texas tower and Texas State Capitol that have always been integral to the show’s look. It was designed and constructed by a host of Austin-based craftsmen: artist Ellen Lampl, Custom Creation, set painter Tim Dingle, and Olden Lighting, alongside series production company LickonaVision.

The evening will kickoff with a performance by Austin’s own Carolyn Wonderland, representing the new generation of Texas blues-rock guitar slingers. Wonderland made her national television debut on the show in 2008.

Accomplishing what no other show has done in the history of American television, AUSTIN CITY LIMITS has presented audiences with the most diverse, original, cutting-edge talent music has to offer. The series will take this same spirit of creativity into the new venue giving more of Austin a seat to the next stage of legendary performances.

The Moody Theater is a state-of-the-art live music venue.   Developed by Stratus Properties, the new home of AUSTIN CITY LIMITS will enable more fans to watch future live tapings and provide an enhanced experience while maintaining the intimacy, character and integrity that have been the hallmark of AUSTIN CITY LIMITS for more than three decades. In addition to ACL tapings, it will host 60-100 concerts a year as ACL Live at The Moody Theater.  Nestled next to the W Austin Hotel & Residences™, it is the premier destination in Austin for live performances as well as private events and only one of two dedicated live music venues in the country built to USGBC LEED rated standards.

In 2009, the Moody Foundation of Galveston, Texas gave KLRU a $2.5 million contribution to help equip the new state of the art AUSTIN CITY LIMITS production facility.

Two levels of tickets are still available to this special night:

Dinner-By-The-Bite + Performance Tickets – $500 per ticket
Arrive early and enjoy cocktails and amazing cuisine provided by W Austin on the Gallery of the Mezzanine Level. Take your reserved seat on the Mezzanine Level for the show after the reception.

Performance Tickets – $150 per ticket
Performance tickets include Balcony Level reserved seats to the show

Following the performance, the entire theater will open up for the Encore Reception with sweet & savory snacks and your chance to tour every seat in the house.

For more information or to purchase tickets go to www.klru.org/openingnight.

KLRU’s Opening Night committee is chaired by Berry Crowley.  Honorary Chairs are Bobbi and Mort Topfer.  Committee includes Linda Benge, Laura Beuerlein. Susie Dudley, Mary Margaret Farabee, Jordan Herman, Mary Herman, Cindy Hill, W Austin, Carrie Holt, AMLI, Jenny Miller, Ross Moody, Elizabeth Nash, Claire Pinkerton,  Laurie Swan, Stratus Properties,  Dwight Thompson, Trisa Thompson, Tomi Winstead, Sandy Youman.
KLRU’s Opening Night is made possible by the generous support of our lead sponsors: The Moody Foundation, W Austin, and Stratus Properties.
About KLRU:
KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, reflects, celebrates and inspires Central Texas through creative excellence, community engagement and lifelong learning. In addition to providing locally produced and quality national television programming, KLRU is also a non-profit organization helping to build a stronger community through educational workshops, community engagement projects and public events. Known as the producing station of the longest running live music television show AUSTIN CITY LIMITS, KLRU has also worked on several other national productions including the documentaries Tattooed Under Fire and Citizen Architect. Get more information about KLRU at klru.org.

Parenting Counts Workshops were developed by the Talaris institute and brought to the Austin Public Library in partnership with KLRU. Explore ways to share the love of reading and develop the foundation for further learning. The workshop is open to parents of children ages 3 to 5 years old and will be taught in English. Each workshop is limited to 20 participants, so please call 512-974-7567 to reserve a space now. Parents will receive a free children’s book that goes with each theme discussed. The workshops are free and open to the public. The upcoming workshops will focus on May 19: Tell Me a Story and May 26: Taking a Break with Books. Find out more about Parenting Counts at parentingcounts.org

Each year students in kindergarten through third grade are invited to create their own books with original stories and drawings in the annual Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest. This year, KLRU received more than 100 book submissions from children in the Austin area. A panel of teachers and librarians judged the entries. Winners receive a certificate signed by Reading Rainbow host LaVar Burton and other prizes. All first place stories will be available for view at klru.org/readingrainbow after May 25. The local Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest is one of many KLRU initiatives designed to take learning beyond TV to help build a better community.

WINNERS:
Kindergarten:
First Place, Kristopher Lynn Kelly, Liberty Hill Elementary School
Second Place, Amelia Jane Tsering, Georgetown home schooled
Third Place, Luke Near, Trinity Episcopal School

First Grade:
First Place MollyRose Kavanagh, Forest North Elementary
Second Place, Abby Sitton, Pflugerville home schooled
Third place, Selvia Nnybo, Clayton Elementary

Second Grade:
First Place, Anika Singh, Hill Elementary
Second Place, Audrie Roeder, home schooled Pflugerville
Third Place, Jesalyn Chan, home schooled Austin
Honorable Mention, Bryn Battani, Trinity Episcopal School

Third Grade:
First Place, Tejal Kulkarni, Brushy Creek Elementary
Second Place, Amber Adkins, Deer Creek Elementary
Third Place, Audrey Bohl Cantu, home schooled Georgetown

The move from analog to digital broadcasting will take place on February 17. Do you know if your television is ready for the transition?

DTV Answers Day will be January 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. throughout Central Texas. Experts from all local television stations will be out in the community answering questions and giving demonstrations about the digital television transition.

KLRU will be at the Nimitz Museum Community Room in Fredericksburg, 340 East Main St. Other Austin television stations will be at the following locations:

Taylor Public Library 801 Vance St.

Lantex Theatre in Llano 113 W Main St.

LCRA Riverside Conference Center in Bastrop  1405 Willow St.

Bee Cave Library in the Hill Country Galleria 4000 Galleria Parkway

Univision Studios Austin 2233 W. North Loop Blvd.

Here’s the schedule for the day:
9 a.m. :: Linda Lehmusvirta producer of Central Texas Gardener
10 a.m. :: Dutch Rall producer of In Context
11 a.m. :: Elena Ramirez KLRU producer
noon :: Lynn Boswell producer of Texas Monthly Talks
1 p.m. :: JJ Weber Broadcast Operations Manager
2 p.m. :: Domenique Bellavia producer of Docubloggers
3 p.m. :: Sean Cunningham producer of Docubloggers