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

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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,"