Mandolin Orange - Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater (2020)

Back in the beginnings, we didn’t think we would ever release a live album. This didn’t make sense for a band that loves to tour and play. Sounds silly now, but we couldn’t figure out the point of it when we had album recordings, crafted with a heap of intention and total sonic and creative control. Over the last few years we’ve been warming up to the idea as we realized so many of the albums we love and return to the most are live albums.

The upending of the touring world solidified to us just what a vital art form the live show is for us personally—the interaction with the crowd, the improvisation, the eye contact, the luck of catching a performance of a tune that outdoes its album version. The night we loaded this show into protools and started listening, we were maybe three weeks into stay-at-home orders. Spirits weren’t exactly high, but we found ourselves suddenly grinning and dancing around the basement, transported to a time of purpose and connection and inspiration.

Back in Austin in January, we were just on tour. We hadn’t the slightest notion of making a live album out of this show, we were just focusing on overcoming the toddler puke we had spent the day in, not knowing it would come for the rest of our crew in 24 hours. It was an average day on a really fun, sunny, and rewarding tour.
We are so excited to share the joy with you this week.
Thank you for creating a world in which we could play this show. Now close your eyes, grab a beverage and take a trip back (or forward?) in time with us.