Information is starting to surface about Filter Magazine's SXSW day party at Lustre Pearl. According to our friends at Ultra 8201, the event will be on Friday, March 19 (evening) and will feature She & Him. There's also emerging information on the Village Voice party, which will be at La Zona Rosa on March 19 (daytime) and will have Surfer Blood, Superchunk, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the XX and more TBA. more ›

A 136-year-old mansion and all of downtown Austin's historic buildings were among this year's Preservation Texas list of the Most Endangered Places statewide. more ›

• DCist is busy digging out of the great Snowmaggedon of 2010.
• Londonist discovered an alpine ski lodge, some abstract art, a treasure-trove of antiques and several tube-carriage offices, all in the unlikely setting of East London's rooftops and alleyways.
• Gothamist was amazed when a Best Buy shopper was arrested for using valid gift cards. Oh, and when a 12-year-old was arrested for doodling on her desk. Oh, and when a 9-year-old was almost suspended for a Lego-sized toy gun. Oh, and when ?uestlove wondered about NBC's Black History Month cafeteria menu.

• Obama still working on that bipartisanship thing
• Iran still enriching uranium
• Palin still all winky and mavericky and stuff

To call Casual Victim Pile, the two-LP collection of primarily Austin, primarily salt-of-the-earth bands a vanity project feels kinda rude…or would, if the chronicler of this scene hadn’t beat us to it. “It’s admittedly a very arbitrary, self-indulgent thing,” Gerard Cosloy told the Austin A.V. Club. more ›

Outside perhaps his closest compadres, few might have expected the work of former Lungfish frontman Daniel Higgs to take a turn from bleak post-hardcore minimalism into front-porch psychedelia, but that's just what his work currently entails. more ›

New video from The Strange Boys, who will release their new album, Be Brave on the 23rd of this month courtesy In the Red Records. more ›

As the economy continues to flounder, and folks continue to lose their homes and to fail to find work, and the news continues to report overcrowded food banks and the mess that is Wall Street and the other mess that is the bullshit “health care system,” I sometimes get this visual in my head of Obama. It’s late at night, and he’s just walked into the First Bedroom. Michelle is lifting her little weights, toning her lovely arms. Here, in this private space, Obama lets go of the Joe Cool façade that on good days he is admired for and, of late, nets him accusations of being a compassionless animatronic incapable of actual change. Obama looks at Michelle, balls up his hands, stomps his feet, and screams, “I FUCKING HATE GEORGE W. BUSH. I HATE HIM I HATE HIM I HATE HIM!!! THIS IS ALL HIS FAULT!!” more ›

Yay for folk joyousness! Tomorrow night at the Mohawk come not one, but two of the feature fantastic folk-like acts touring today in these Great States, Raleigh's Bowerbirds and ol' Canada's Julie Doiron. You may be familiar with the delicate yet captivating Bowerbirds from either of their two notable LPs, including last year's excellent and understated Upper Air. The trio use accordion as an effective backdrop for their nature-tinged pleadings, and one cannot help but get the feel their music is just at home in the thick of the forest as it is in the depths of the city; for an idea of what they're about, check out the stunning video for "In Our Talons." more ›

• UK troops pave way for super massive blackhole NATO Afghan assault.
• Toyota’s chief apologizes, says company is in crisis.
• Knife-wielding politician refuses to step down in IL lt. governor's race.

What’s the Deal: The lads in Dinosaur Feathers are hard working. This Brooklyn trio crafts some of the most dense, winding pop fattened up with layers of drum machine, keyboard tones, guitar and vocal melodies sometimes sporting that sound you used to make when you were a kid by singing into the fan. With such a multitude of sounds present, it would be quite easy for the Feathers to lose you in the shuffle, but they do an expert job of holding your interest and stringing you along for a wild, frolicsome ride. Even though their debut, Fantasy Memorial, won’t arrive until the beginning of March, they’ve no doubt worn themselves out playing show after show on their New York stomping ground. But, beginning in March, they’ll be leaving the city streets for a tour down the east coast and entering into the Midwest. more ›

Polysics formed over a decade ago, first played SXSW back in 2000, and have churned out ten full-lengths, including 2009’s Absolut Polysics. We’re not sure if it’s the frenetic vocal delivery, the ridiculous amount of beeps and bleeps, the relentless energy generated at their concerts, or just the sum of it all, but something tells us that audience at The Independent are in for a special night tomorrow. Irresistible hooks galore, moments of punk mayhem, and more than enough openings to break out the robot should keep most in attendance satisfied. We extend our gratitude to C3 Presents and Soundcheck Magazine for presenting this opportunity to catch this novel band live. Enter your information in the form below for a chance to win one of two pairs of tickets to the show. more ›