Photo by punchup on flickr East Austin halfway/"sober" house to close after neighbors complained. Mother and child hit by truck in Georgetown HEB parking lot. Double B Foods recalling 98,000 pounds worth of sausage roll products for listeria contamination. After a fight at Taylor High School, the police tasered a girl, arresting her and two other students. 109,263 mistakes in the math textbooks proposed to be used for the 2008 school year at Texas elementary... more ›

Photo of Emily Tindall and Leslie Chastain courtesy UT Dep’t Theatre & Dance Ashes, Ashes8pm Saturday, 2pm SundayWinship Drama Building (UT Campus)[info] | [tickets]Ashes, Ashes, closing this weekend at UT, is the most visually-impressive theatrical work we’ve seen anywhere in quite awhile. We’ve even been to lower-end Broadway productions that didn’t have half the visual whammy of this retro-futuristic extravaganza. We simply couldn’t tear our eyes away from the post-Victorian steampunk fantasia created by the... more ›

Still from The District! The DistrictNovember 16-222110 South Lamar (2110 S. Lamar)Various Showtimes, $8.25[info]We heard a lot of good things about Áron Gauder's one-of-a-kind animated gem The District! during Fantastic Fest last year, but we hadn't had a chance to see it until recently. It's a Hungarian Hip-Hop / time travel / gangster odyssey set in Budapest's notorious 8th district, where rival crime families feud like Montagues and Capulets. That is, until their kids fall... more ›

Blue Bowl by Ryan MckerleyRyan McKerley with Lisa Crowder and Edmund Martinez (2710 E Cesar Chavez) A full-time studio potter since 1995, Ryan McKerley has been a fixture of the East Side Studio Tour since its inception. He makes contemporary functional stoneware and porcelain vessels, fired in a wood or soda kiln and decorated with earthy colors. Ryan really loves what he does, and it shows from his work. You won’t get a warmer welcome... more ›

Image from Austin New Music Co-op’s website Austin New Music Co-op presents “Electrons and Phonons”Saturday, November 17Ceremony Hall (4100 Red River)8 p.m. | $10[info] | [Austin New Music Co-op MySpace]Austin New Music Co-op, in conjunction with SEAMUS, has put together a very special event this Saturday at Ceremony Hall to commemorate “Electro-Acoustic Music Month.” In an effort to champion new musical compositions for electro-acoustic instruments, and provide a setting for inspiration and innovation alike, Austin... more ›

If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.... more ›

Image courtesy Kill From The Heart fanpageAnyone who read the Meat Puppets cover story in the Austin Chronicle this summer knows that the brothers Kirkwood have had some serious ups and down in their 20-odd years together. From their belated arrival as grunge superstars in the mid-90s and appearing for a four-song stretch on Nirvana's Unplugged album to a heroin-fueled spiral into depression and bankruptcy, the Puppets have lived the kind of life most people... more ›

photo by Chrissy Piper Aesop Rock, Black Moth Super Rainbow at Emo’sSaturday, Nov. 17Emos (603 Red River St)$15 - doors at 9, show at 10[info] | [tickets]El-P may be the maverick visionary of preeminent indie hip-hop label Definitive Jux, but Aesop Rock is currently its superstar. Boasting a ridiculously fluid double-time flow and enough hallucinatory wordplay to confound Bill Burroughs, Aes Rock has built a rapid cult following since his Def Jux debut, Labor Days,... more ›

Photo courtesy Richard Foreman/Miramax There is dark humor, and then there is the kind of humor in which a bone sticking out of a man’s arm qualifies as one of the lighter moments. No Country For Old Men, a film of dark beauty and sharp formal precision, is not a comedy by any stretch of the imagination; but, like the best films, it proves that an element of absurdity is necessary to chart the best... more ›

Photos from last night's performances by The Swell Season and The Frames at Stubb's. Photos by Romain Nayalkar. Photos may not be used without prior permission. Please email Romain for questions or comments. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.... more ›

Photo courtesy Ricardo B. Brazziell Brownout w/ Bavu BlakesFriday, November 16Flamingo Cantina (515 E. 6th St.)Doors: 9pm[info] Bavu Blakes @ B-Girl CitySaturday, November 17Ruta Maya (3601 South Congress Penn Field)10pm set[info] Bavu BlakesSaturday, November 17Plush (617 Red River)$10, Midnight[info]The anticipated long-form paean to Sparkdawg will have to wait for a week: Bavu Blakes, Austin’s biggest rapper, plays three shows and runs a 5k this weekend before hanging up his hat for the holidays. I caught... more ›

Image from Sondre Lerche’s MySpace Sondre Lerche & Dan WilsonFriday, November 16The Parish Room (214 East Sixth Street)$15 Advance; Doors 8 p.m.[info] | [tickets] Sondre Lerche (pronounced lair-kay) is hailed as a something of a wonderkid in his native Norway. The child prodigy started receiving guitar lessons at the age of eight, and his keen ear for melody along with his songwriting ability led to couple of EP’s early in his career for Virgin Norway.... more ›

Say you like to meditate. Say you like to sit in a room and think real hard and then not think at all. Say you like a little sound in the background to help keep that head of yours on straight. Say you don’t mind some vocals, but not too many, some jangling now-it’s-folksy/now-it’s-noodling guitar, maybe a dash of sometimes-shimmery/sometimes-bombastic drumming to toy with your heart rate. Say you pop in the new Six Organs... more ›

Photo by Aubrey Edwards The Octopus Project with Horse+Donkey and Cue at Emo’sFriday, November 16Emos (603 Red River St)Outside, Doors at 8 p.m., Show at 10 p.m., [info]The Octopus Project have recently been galloping across the country, showing off the material from their new album, Hello, Avalance, out on Peek-a-Boo records. Tonight, however, the gang's back in Austin to wrap up the tour with a hometown show at Emo's. The new album sounds a bit... more ›

Photo by jetalone on flickrThe third Thursday of November (one week before Big American-Style Thanksgiving) marks Beaujolais Day - setting off a sort of Cannonball Run of wine, with distributors racing to get wildly celebrated bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau, the red wine made exclusively from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France, to market. We were busy drinking some middle-of-the-road Sauvignon Blanc last night or we would have totally reminded you yesterday. According... more ›

photo from refractionarts.org The Assumption Junktion Funktion!Saturday, November 17Scoot Inn (1308 E. Fourth)Doors at 9pm[info]As we recently reported, Refraction Arts' The Assumption is making a return this holiday season. "By riotous demand," the show will play for three weeks, starting December 7th. To celebrate the return of this theatre event, the cast and crew are throwing a hell- fund-raising hootenanny at Scoot Inn, tomorrow night. Entertainers and fellow revelers will include the house band, Fast... more ›

Google MapsGeorgetown Village, a new master planned community 35 miles north of downtown Austin, is hoping to become the first green subdivision in Georgetown. According to the Statesman: Green Builders Inc. is creating an 800-acre master-planned community with 2,000 houses that will be environmentally friendly and feature rain harvesting and energy-saving heating and cooling systems. Georgetown Village will offer 15 floor plans, from 1,800 square feet to 2,400 square feet. Several models are near completion.... more ›

• Apparently everyone thinks Clinton shined in last nights presidential debate, but the best sound bite came from Rep. Dennis Kucinich who said, "Impeach now!"
• U.S. envoy arrives to pressure Pakistani president into admitting defeat.
• A cyclone that slammed into Bangladesh's coast has killed at least 426 people.

Photo of Z. Bechtol from statesman.com Man found dead under car at a Round Rock Walgreens. Zenobia Bechtol, 14, has been missing since last night around 10pm. More than half of the state's school districts pass on the teacher merit pay plan. Smoking ban started today at some Central Texas hospitals. The two suspects who broke into McBrides earlier this week weren't after guns. State Rep. Dawnna Dukes receives a $10,000 donation from Bob Perry's... more ›

Photo by Patrick Dentler Barack Obama "Texas Countdown to Change"Saturday, November 17The Backyard (13101 W Highway 71)$25 General, $15 Students, 3pm[info] | [tickets]Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama dazzled over 20,000 Austinites last February at his Auditorium Shores rally, and this weekend he aims to do the same. Tickets to this Saturday's "Texas Countdown to Change" rally at the Backyard are still available for $25, and even cheaper ($15) if you're a student. Still, if you... more ›

Image by David Clearly from Myspace The Swell Season with Martha WainwrightThursday, November 15Stubbs (801 Red River)$23, doors at 6:30 p.m.[info]If you loved the romantic indie musical Once, head to Stubb’s early tonight to see the movie recreated live by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. In the film, Hansard, Irish frontman of The Frames, and Irglová, a Czech singer and pianist, played two musicians that fall for each other in song. As The Swell Season,... more ›

Image from MySpace Trans Am, My Education @ MohawkThursday, Nov. 15The Mohawk (912 Red River)9 PM, All ages, $8[info] | [tickets]It's unfriggingbelievable that these guys are on tour with Tool right now. Seriously, it doesn't seem like it was that long ago, standing in crowded bar somewhere, listening to a song called "Ballbados", feeling like there must not be that many people in the world that want to hear instrumental, testosterone-driven synth-rock performed by some... more ›

Photo by Thomas McConnell on aaim.org AAIM Interreligious Thanksgiving ServiceSunday, November 18Congregation Beth Israel (3901 Shoal Creek Blvd.)service starts at 4pm, reception at 5pm[info]This Sunday, Austin Area Interreligious Ministries will hold their 23rd annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. Austinites of diverse faith backgrounds join together for this service every year. This interfaith service is unique and sometimes surprising, and the call to worship is always a moving experience. Please note that the location for the service... more ›

"Tales Of Mere Existence" By Levni R. Yilmaz Esq more ›

Photo by deJong MortifiedNovember 16th, 2007Coldtowne Theatre (4803 Airport Blvd.)[info] | [tickets]An obsession with Huey Lewis. The detailed diaries of a nerd molester. A girl's small town love of Nicholas Nickelby. True tales...ripped from the pages of diaries everywhere. Featuring a distinct lineup of local performers reading their own humiliating teenage journal entries, rap lyrics, philosophical musings and fictional shorts, Mortified makes its Austin debut this Friday night. Hailed as a "cultural phenomenon" by Newsweek... more ›

Image from Wild Sweet Orange’s MySpace, by Jason Wallis The Whigs & Wild Sweet OrangeThursday, November 15Stubbs (801 Red River)$10 | Doors 10:30 p.m. | Inside[info] | [tickets] | [The Whigs MySpace] | [Wild Sweet Orange MySpace]Wild Sweet Orange are in town this Thursday at Stubb’s to offer introspective dream-pop from their recently released The Whale EP, as well as their upcoming full-length for Canvasback Music. The Birmingham, Alabama act’s “Ten Dead Dogs” was featured... more ›

Photo from KEYEWhen Clarence Swenson was twenty-two, he joined over 100 little people to play a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz. Later this month, he (along with the other Oz Munchkins) will be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is one of the nine Munchkins still alive today; seven of the other surviving Munchkins will also attend the ceremony. Swenson appeared in the classic film as a Munchkin soldier. He... more ›

The Secret Show is a collective of Austin musicians who are dedicated to bringing music to the most out-of-the-way and beautifully unusual corners of Austin. Their 4th performance in the series took place on Tuesday night, in a drainage ditch behind Ricky Guerrero park, with a wall covered in graffiti as a backdrop and a few dozen fans and friends in attendance. The shows are always performed with short notice, announced on the group's... more ›

Photo courtesy Sunyong ChungWorld-class porcelain artist Sunyong Chung will be participating in this weekend's E.A.S.T.. Enamored with her work, we conducted an interview with her last fall, but, er, neglected to publish it. (Journalism, shmurnalism.) Now, however, bear witness to all she reveals about the intricate nerikome technique used to ornament her plates and bowls. Also: some call/response regarding Sunyong's beliefs about continuity of form, and her experiences connecting with artists from other eras! Testify!... more ›

Image from Team Fabrication’s MySpace Emo’s is just one of the places you could be this Friday evening. Local experimental act, The Octopus Project released their latest full-length, Hello, Avalance on Peek-A-Boo Records last month and will be providing nuggets of electronic mayhem from the new album and past releases, no doubt. Cue and Horse+Donkey round off this bill of unique Austin acts on the outside stage. Inside at Emo’s, Those Peabodys will be on... more ›

Image by The Young Adorable, Daetron Vargas DJ Mel Guests In For Radio On, TonightThursday, November 15PLUSH (617 Red River St.)10pm-2am, 21+ only, Free[info] Sure, Mel’s best known for his longstanding hip hop gig at Nasty’s every Monday, and then there are his quarterly Rock Tha Casbah parties which we here at the Ist like to get whiskey bent and sweat buckets. But he’s got more tricks up his sleeves than that. And tonight he’ll... more ›

Image from EAST East Austin Studio TourSaturday, November 17 - Sunday, November 18Various Venues (Austin)Free, 10am-5pm Daily[info]The 2007 East Austin Studio Tour (E.A.S.T.) is happening this weekend, and over the next two days we'll be previewing a handful of the artists whose works you'll be able to check out. Here's our guide to E.A.S.T. 2007: The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. With 113 studios and over 200 artists... more ›

Warhol painting of Liz Taylor fetches $23 million. Proof that we started this whole campaign thing a little too early. O.J. "relies on the jury system." WWII plane appears on shore sixty-five years after it went down. Spanish is the most popular foreign language to study while in college; Arabic is quickly gaining popularity. Here's a list of the Top 10 Worst Toys for this holiday season. Careful going out this weekend, one million... more ›

Photo by swanksalot on flickr After losing a chunk of the AT&T account, this week local ad firm GSD&M could layoff up to 15% of their staff. Today's standoff at Webberville and 12th ended with the suspect in custody. Austin Police Association is filing a grievance against the city and requesting an independent review, saying that private information regarding the officer who shot Kevin Brown shouldn't have been released. Austin Cantina in Seattle plays Austin... more ›

Image from the Paramount websiteBlade Runner: The Final CutNovember 18-23Paramount Theater (713 Congress Avenue)$8/$6 children, students, and seniors. Sunday, 2, 4:30 & 7 pm; Monday-Wednesday, 7:30 pm; Thursday, 7 pm; Friday, 4:30, 7 & 9:30 pm [info]Before Minority Report, before A Scanner Darkly, came by far the awesomest flick ever to be made out of a Philip K. Dick novel (sorry, Linklater). It's noir, it's scifi, it's scary, it's mind-bending: Blade Runner, which was released... more ›

Image courtesy Okay Mountain Opening Reception for Introduction to Mountain Making: Okay Mountain StaffSaturday, November 17Okay Mountain Gallery (1312 E Cesar Chavez)7pm[info]In its two years of existence, East Austin's Okay Mountain hasn’t been big on exhibiting pieces created by the small group of local artists who run the place—instead, the gallery usually brings in artists from around the country to show work. But this weekend, Okay Mountaineers will have their day in the sun. In... more ›

Image from nbc.comAustin's favorite high-school football drama, Friday Night Lights, could be changing networks. Radar is reporting that ESPN is in talks to bring the critically-acclaimed, but little-watched, show into its lineup of original programming. Friday Night Lights, which follows the lives of the fictional Dillon High School Panthers, films in and around Austin. Despite winning critical awards and having a loyal following, the show has moved time slots three times and has struggled in... more ›

Photo from official website Tales of the Really White Vigilante Issue Release PartyWednesday, November 14Rio Rita Cafe y Cantina (1308 E 6th St)(7pm-2am)[info]Last month, we previewed the new graphic novel project by Austin artist Michael Schliefke, of Bolm Studios and one of the folks behind this weekend's E.A.S.T. Focusing on the development shenanigans happening on the eastside, Tales of the Really White Vigilante is narrated by a young man who, disguised behind a Mexican wrestling... more ›

Image from www.loadedguntheory.comThe holidays are a busy time for theatre in Austin, with too many seasonal shows to choose from. As the glut looms, several fine shows are closing. Get to these while the gettin's good! Much-lauded director Karen Jambon helms Loaded Gun Theory's Little Murders. You can't judge a show by its artwork, but we think theirs is the best we've seen all year. This dark comedy about an overbearing daughter—played by the always-delightful... more ›

Image from Myspace; Photo by Colin Smith The Ponys + Chin Up Chin UpWednesday November 14The Mohawk (912 Red River)Doors at 9pm, Free![info] [The Ponys MySpace] [Chin Up Chin Up MySpace]Chicago's The Ponys traffic in post-punk and dark overtones, and have been tirelessly touring the club circuit for years. The band have recently opened for both Spoon and Bloc Party, but are now headlining their own fall trek through the South. Their latest work Turn... more ›

The SWAT Team has been busy this week. After waiting 9 hours at McBrides Guns yesterday for a man who wasn't there, the team was called out to 12th Street and Webberville this afternoon. APD was in the area to hand out warrants when a man barricaded himself in. Sims Elementary has been placed on lockdown. Hopefully, like yesterday, there will be a peaceful resolution to the situation. [Statesman]... more ›

photo courtesy of Brazil’s abril.com Jens Lekman w/ Kristi RaeNovember 14, 2007The Parish Room (214 East Sixth Street)$10 presale, Doors at 8[info]With boyish charm and a silken voice, Swedish sensation Jens Lekman will play some songs tonight at The Parish Room. Plenty of those songs are sure to come from Night Falls Over Kortedala, a critically-praised (Pitchfork gave it a 9.0, for God's sake) collection of ornate and catchy-in-that-old-timey-way pop. And, for good measure, we... more ›

Image from www.homeslicepizza.com Home Slice-O-RamaSaturday, November 17Home Slice Pizza (1415 South Congress)Noon-6pm, Admission is free; booths, games and drinks cost tickets. All carnival proceeds to benefit Young Texans Against Cancer[info] The delicioso crew at Home Slice Pizza will celebrate their second year of slinging perfecto pizza by hosting a back yard carnival on Saturday, with all proceeds benefiting Young Texans Against Cancer. Here's what's on tap: • An old school pizza eating contest to win... more ›

We received several great responses to last week's Overheard in Austin. Did you hear something that tops our quotes from this week? Send them to overheard@austinist.com and we'll publish the best ones. Girl talking to her friend downtown:I mean, he has a nice body. He’s big but he’s not fat. He just has some atoms around his stomach that are farther apart. A 10-year-old, perched atop the jungle gym, holding forth about Halloween:Halloween? Nowadays it's... more ›

Editors’ note: The opinions and ideas expressed in My Ex-Boyfriend's Band are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the outlook and belief of anyone else in the Ist network. It's been a big year for Graham Williams. Last December, he joined forces with Alamo Drafthouse to put on the inaugural Fun Fun Fun Fest, one day of indie, punk and electronic music on three stages in Waterloo Park. It was... more ›

Flyer courtesy VICE Records VICE Presents Mr. Oizo, DJ Mehdi, OCELOTWednesday, November 14Antones (213 W 5th St)(Free, 10pm-2am, RSVP Required)[info] | [rsvp] [ozio myspace] [dj mehdi myspace] [ocelot myspace]Tonight, our friends at VICE records have teamed up with Scion to throw a massive "house party" at Antone's—best of all, it's completely free if you RSVP in time. They've flying in legendary French music producer Quentin "Mr. Oizo" Dupieux, who's best known for his 1999 techno... more ›

Image courtesy Keep Austin BeautifulThursday November 15th is Texas Recycles Day, a statewide campaign to raise awareness about recycling. There are a number of happenings across the state, but an Austin event worth mentioning is HEB's celebration. Local area HEBs are giving out 20,000 reusable grocery bags as well as encouraging customers to use the newish plastic bag recycling containers at the entrances of the stores for both grocery bags and other thin plastic recyclables... more ›

A new academic study suggests that the appeal of curvy women is based on more than the purely physical. Homophobic Surgeon General nominee to be recess appointed by Bush? The 2008 Austin Firefighters Calendar is on sale, and we're thinking about next summer's dry spell already. WTF: Jump-roping dogs. The Austin Independent School District just started an outreach program that’s meant to enroll more African American students into its gifted and talented programs. In... more ›

Photo by Miss Barbara on flickr After all that this morning, no one was found inside McBride's after the police got in. Over the weekend, a Hays County deputy found 730 pounds of marijuana when he pulled over a Suburban in Buda. LaBare trying to get permits to set up shop off of Braker and IH35; the neighbors aren't too excited about it. Cops on the lookout for woman (and two accomplices) who robbed a... more ›

Image from RG4N websiteResponsible Growth for Northcross Austin (RG4N) is in court today claiming the city helped Wal-Mart through illegal city planning. They claim the Northcross Wal-Mart development requires the removal of 29 trees (breaking tree ordinances) and that the development breaks a plat note controlling runoff and pollution into Shoal Creek. The Allandale Neighborhood Association had part of their anti-Wal-Mart lawsuit thrown out last week but RG4N remains undeterred. Each group will have 2... more ›

Photo by Veronica Meewes on flickrAs expected, this year’s Stitch was both fun and overwhelming. We tried to take it all in, circling around the booths bundled under Austin Convention Center many, many times. However, it really is impossible to experience everything thing unless you dedicate at least three hours to paint a Carlo Rossi jug, sew a sweater at First Samples, watch the runway show… and then, of course, shop! The latter was easy.... more ›

Sol-Art SOL-ART @ E.A.S.T. Austin Studio TourNovember 17 from 10am-11pm and November 18 from 10am-5pmSOL-ART (1141 Perry Rd)[info]Central Texas living meets sustainability in a new development project called SOL, or Solutions Oriented Living. The new green oasis is three miles east of downtown and will consist of architect-designed, environmentally conscious homes surrounded by 5 acres of oak trees. Some of Austin's finest artists filmmakers, writers, photographers, musicians, and other creative souls will gather in full... more ›

AFS Essentials Presents Black DjuTuesday, November 13thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)7pm, $4 / Free to AFS Members[info] | [tickets]It's bad enough being a stranger in a strange land, but when you need assistance from the local people to help solve the mysterious disappearance of your father, things can get downright maddening. Tonight, the Austin Film Society sends us on a suspenseful quest as they presents Black Dju, the fifth offering in the... more ›

*The views expressed in Truesday are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole. Thank heavens.* -The Editors Pardon me in full if this week’s column is completely baron (or BARREN, if you're into 'homonym correctness'. Damned good drugs here) of clean direction. The majority of it was conceived and written while suffering a heavy fever and enjoying some heavy cough medicine. I’ll get around to the birth of that... more ›

Image from MySpace by Aubrey EdwardsMOTH! FIGHT! What’s the Deal: These local musicians with a appreciation for all things Victorian mix keys, samples, autoharp, guitar, banjo, violin, sleigh bells, trumpet and several voices to create a sound that changes abruptly from the melodic to the cacophonous, and all the while keeps eyes and ears perked toward their performance. Every member plays at least two or three instruments. Their music is a cascading, clamourous, curious sound... more ›

Austin Green Art Austin Green Art Celebrates Third BirthdayFriday, November 16, 6pm-8pmIF+D (208 Colorado)[info]Austin Green Art celebrates its third birthday party at IF+D Gallery, Friday November 16. AGA is an umbrella project of the Austin Community Foundation and produces public programs in collaboration with community partners, artists and community volunteers. Check out the unique projects on the horizon, including AGA's Grow Austin Weird Project, which was initiated in collaboration with the Campus Environmental Center's Gardening... more ›

Japancakes Loveless (Darla) They probably knew that people would love or hate it, but they did it anyway. Japancakes, an eccentric instrumental band from Athens (featured previously on NRT for the release of Giving Machines), have released a full-length album cover version of My Bloody Valentine's 1991 instant classic. While reactions have been mixed, we feel that the decision to take on such a publicly adored album is ballsy, exciting, and makes us feel that... more ›

Before dawn this morning, someone broke into McBride's Guns on San Gabriel, and they are thought to still be there, surrounded by ammunition and weapons. Schools in the area have been put on lockdown, and a SWAT team has surrounded the store. It seems to be unknown whether there is someone still actually there in the store, but the security company contracted by McBride's detected movement earlier this morning. Streets in the area (Lamar between... more ›

Image from Killercorn on flickr.ZOM Inc. has again changed its mind about whether units in the currently-under-construction Monarch should be rented or sold. You may recall that The Monarch was initially announced as rental apartments, but switched to for-sale condos two months ago. The timing on that decision wasn't great - Austin's housing inventory has been piling up in the last few months. About twenty percent of The Monarch's units were sold between then and... more ›

Photo of White Denim courtesy City on Fire The Blakes w/ White Denim, Golden Boys, The HugsTuesday, Nov. 13The Mohawk (912 Red River)Free Show[info]If by some chance you have not yet experienced the thrill that is a White Denim show, there's no excuse after tonight. They'll be playing a free show at the Mohawk, alongside The Blakes, Golden Boys and The Hugs. The Blakes are a three piece outfit from Seattle, touring in support of... more ›

Photo by Marina Chavez; Image from MySpace. The Hold Steady + Art BrutThursday, November 15La Zona Rosa (612 W. 4th Street)$21 Advance, $23 Day Of Show[info] | [tickets]Brooklyn's The Hold Steady may well be America's best bar band. Their 2006 release Boys and Girls In America made Austinist's 2006 top albums list (and everyone else's) by combining sharp lyrical wit, meat and potatoes power chords, and dry vocals that the listener either loves or hates.... more ›

Stay away from the Denver International Airport. Major anti-abortion group endorses that Law & Order guy. Ship spills more than 1.3 million gallons of oil into the Black Sea. As if Russia's environment wasn't effed up enough... New studies show that children who are identified as troubled in kindergarten might end up doing fine in elementary school. So give the kids a chance, okay? Having good friends at work makes you less stressed out.... more ›

Photo by MotherPie on flickr Attorney General Greg Abbott says the rate of foreclosures in Texas is at crisis level; foreclosures in Travis County have gone down since last year, though. Hit-and-run on Airport Blvd. Sunday morning leads to the deaths of a motorcyclist and his passenger. Fredericksburg wants you to be quiet when you visit. State red-light fines that should be going towards medical trauma centers aren't. Del Rio high school student suspended for... more ›

Dear Pillow poster by Rob Jones Dear Pillow DVD Release PartyMonday, November 12thAustin School of Film8pm, Free, Beer and snacks provided[info]Austin-made indie favorite Dear Pillow will hit the shelves tomorrow in DVD form (courtesy of Heretic Films), and tonight the Austin School of Film will host a party to celebrate the occasion. Written and Directed by Bryan Poyser (who we interviewed about his latest short Grammy's during SXSW), Dear Pillow tells the story of a... more ›

Original menu image courtesy the Frisco Shop With the Brentwood Tavern and the Travis County Farmer's Market both closing last month, the Allandale culinary scene is certainly undergoing some transition. The Austin Business Journal and the Statesman's Dale Rice report that the Frisco Shop (North Central Austin's haven of pie and artery-clogging comfort food) has found a new home and will not close its doors after learning last year that its location would soon house... more ›

Alamo Drafthouse Micro Roadshow Presents: TampopoSaturday, November 17thLocation TBA $60, includes movie, dinner and beverages[info] | [tickets]There is a fine line between loving your food and loving your food. Well, actually no, it's a big, fat freakin' line, one which the Japanese are not afraid to catapult themselves over with gusto filled oyster/face licking, giving pork slices the ole' bedroom eyes and even some egg yolk fellatio. (Yes, the school yard taunt "Go suck... more ›

Image courtesy of The Pinker Tones’ MySpace The Pinker TonesTuesday, November 13Beauty Bar (7th St. at Red River)$5, 11 p.m.[info] The Pinker Tones had to cancel their show at the Mohawk in July but the Barcelona based duo of Mister Furia (Salvador Ray) and Professor Manso (Alex Llovet) return to Austin this Tuesday, fresh on the heels of a new remix record titled More Colours!. The Pinker Tones have two prior full-lengths, and compositions for... more ›

But what if attitudes and religious memeplexes aren’t changing because adapting to social pressure is necessary? What if the new millenarianism, instead of crashing computers, will be a fight to the death with a Frankenstein version of Mother Nature? What if environmentalism is becoming the new faith? What if responsible consumerism is the new moral ethic? What if recycling, dear Green God, is the new ritual of absolution? more ›

Photo by DESMONDWYSON on flickrGov. Rick Perry and his staff are holding off on hitting the "delete" key, thanks to the work of a political activist. John Washburn of Milwaukee programmed his computer to automatically send out two requests a week for all government e-mail generated by Perry staffers. Under state law, records aren't supposed to be destroyed once somebody has asked for them. The governor's office said they will comply with Washburn's requests, which... more ›

Image from Zilker Park Residences. Sandwich king John Wooley is building a condo for himself and 73 of his closest market-selected friends near the shores of Barton Creek and Lady Bird Lake. Beloved Austin icon Wanfu Too will be displaced. Check this website later for details about the Save Wanfu Too Benefit Concert. In a surprising twist, Wooley appears to have support of the Zilker Neighborhood Association, partly because the project will require no variances... more ›

A look at the music and musicians that make up an important part of the Texas Book Festival. Photos by Steve Hopson. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.... more ›

Album Cover, Go With What You Know Zappa Plays ZappaTuesday, November 13Hogg Memorial Auditorium (24th at Whitis)8pm[info] | [tickets]Post by Mark H. Being the spawn of an international superstar can be a tough weight to carry. Some try to sluff off comparisons, others try to appropriate their parents' legacy while striving to maintain their own sense of artistic creativity, and others still go unseen or heard until ending up in rehab. Dweezil Zappa seems to... more ›

Flyer from BGirl City Championships Home Slice Pizza celebrates its second anniversary (happy birthday, guys!) with a giant Pizza Carnival—expect pizza tossing acrobats, pizza eating contests, "Great Calzoni the Slice Reader," and more, with proceeds going to benefit Young Texans Against Cancer The 6th annual East Austin Studio Tour returns, featuring more than 200 artists at over 100 studios—ride your bikes this year! VICE Magazine, Gomikitti, and Scion throw a killer free party at Antone's... more ›

The Waller Creek Tunnel project here in Austin is gaining ground. Major scientific breakthrough shows that cloning embryos is much easier than anticipated... U.S. clean energy stocks are doing better than the U.S. economy as a whole. Is classical music on the comeback? Norman Mailer dies in Manhattan at the age of 84. Writers Guild of America strike in Hollywood goes into week two... We will all have less privacy in the future, says... more ›

Image by the "Subway Cyrano," from GothamistNew York City was at its strangest and swellest this week. On Sunday, tens of thousands people ran in the NYC Marathon, including Mrs. Tom Cruise, aka Katie Holmes, who ran it in just under 5 hours, 30 minutes. Gothamist also found out that limes in Corona are sometimes illegal, the weird maple syrup might be back and a famous punk music pioneer-turned-real estate broker was possibly killed by... more ›