This weekend, June 5-7 at 8pm, Annie appears at the Bass Concert Hall. Part of the Broadway Across America series, this is the 30th anniversary tour of a production that took home the Tony for Best Musical in 1977 and earned a nomination for Revival in 1997. more ›

Washington state’s Wolves in the Throne Room are somewhat of an anomaly. Typically boxed into the ambient black metal sub-style of the black metal sub-genre (stay with us here), the band is one of the luminaries on the U.S. black metal landscape that’s making a conscious effort to push the boundaries of a genre that has a tendency to remain stagnant. The band incorporates an ecologically conscious worldview, not only into their music but also their lifestyle (members live on a sustainable farming compound outside of Olympia that they call “Calliope”), and an emphasis on catharsis and spiritual well-being rather than black metal’s more traditional nihilism and misanthropy. more ›

Au Revoir Simone’s signature sound is created with three vintage Casios, a drum machine, and silky vocals producing melancholy yet frank harmonies. All of these sound wrapped in gauze, creating the effect of an impressionist statement in which, despite the almost military crispness of their lyrics, there are no sharp edges to be found. more ›

All photos courtesy of Nari. more ›

During SXSW, Passion Pit were the last featured performance during an outdoor party that also included beloved and established acts including The Wrens and Daniel Johnston. more ›

Animal Collective, about as much a musical lightning rod as three chill dudes with questionable fashion taste can be, are here, tonight. With them we expect a seizure-inducing sound and light display, several stacks of synths, maybe a guitar if we're lucky, and of course the head-shaking Geologist, yelping Avey Tare, and soft-spoken Brian Wilson clone, Panda Bear. more ›

Austin's own R&B dreamboats The Strange Boys supply the perfect groove for long nights of awkward shuffling, excessive drinking and desperate sidelong glances at the object of one's affection. more ›

One slightly bored, office chair-confined Austinite looks for a little local adventure and often finds his knees skinned, ego bruised and mind blown but gains a ton of certificates of completion and third place ribbons in the process. more ›

One half of The Gentle Guest’s songs sound like an American hobo ho-down that might go on in the very latest hours of the night after they’ve abandoned their stoops and street corners and headed down to the old railroad tracks. The songs are full of clamoring drums, tambourines, plucked and bowed stringed instruments, eerie horns, and shanty-esque group singing that sounds like a dark and folky good time. The other half of the songs are moody, acoustic pieces featuring just Eric Rykal, his voice and a guitar. more ›

This pair of Drag City folk heroes aren't the type of musicians to be taken lightly. more ›

The brothers Carney, better known as Pontiak, line The Mohawk’s walls with sludgy psychedelic soundscapes this Saturday evening. Prior to that, at 5 p.m., the trio will supply the patrons of End of an Ear with ample drone as well. Lain, Van, and Jennings were born in Virginia and moved away to Maryland where they first started playing together, only to return to their farm in Virginia to build themselves a studio. After self-releasing their early efforts, they signed on with Thrill Jockey Records in 2008. The label re-released 2007’s Sun on Sun and Pontiak followed that up with a split record (with Arbouretum) containing new material along with John Cale covers. more ›

My son, Henry Mowgli Gillespie, graduates from McCallum High School on Friday evening. It will be his first time on stage at the Erwin Center but perhaps not his last, as he is a musician and you just never know. Choosing the life of an artist (or having the universe impose the life of an artist upon you—who the hell knows which it is) is something I know firsthand. Living the nightmare that the dream sometimes seems—when you’re faced with three cut-off notices from the phone/electric/gas company, the rent is late, and the cupboards are bare— is, I can say with authority, most definitely worth it. Some parents might be horrified at the prospect of a child with no plans beyond playing the guitar and keyboards. I say to my son—You go girl! I am thrilled for you. And proud. And I’m not just saying that in hopes that you’ll skip writing angry songs about your fucked up childhood. more ›

The Austin Lyric Opera is starting a summer music series at the sprawling Italian food buffet, featuring Mezzo soprano Liz Cass, selections from Hansel and Gretel, and a host of young performers for the Armstrong Community Music School Family Music Nite. more ›

Last night, Rare Magazine celebrated at the Long Center with local bands, food and beverages from local vendors, and fireworks. Harlem, White Denim and Grupo Fantasma were on hand, as well as DJ Manny. All photos courtesy Pooneh Ghana. more ›

Faster Than the Speed of Light is a triumph on so many levels that it's more or less fair to dismiss the fact that the show's plot is almost indiscernible. more ›

Can any band compare to the New York Dolls? The Dolls combined elements of punk, glam, and ol' fashioned rock and roll - and did it all in platform shoes. The genre and gender-bending released their self-titled debut in 1973, simultaneously paving the way for the Sex Pistols and a million hairspray abusing Sunset Strip bands. more ›

Produced by Neil Diaz and NCD Resources, the show will feature apparel from local Austin designers and boutiques, including Loves, Mariessa, Pink Salon and Gallery, Renee Geneava, Ryan Nicole Vintage, Soigné, Team Fabrication, Tripp, and GAT5. Models will be strutting to music by all-girl band Tribella and DJ Prep Mode, while guests enjoy sno-cones from Frosty Slim, live screenprinting by Twin Villain, and various installations from local artists. more ›

Sir Richard Bishop has been challenging listeners to follow him on a fascinating, diabolical, and occasionally hilarious journey for nearly thirty years. First as the guitarist with experimental pranksters Sun City Girls, then through his early involvement with the superlative Sublime Frequencies label, Bishop has synthesized his wide-ranging influences, including esoteric mysticism and the occult, Hinduism, and Django Reinhardt through field recordings, solo performances, and outright psychedelic freakouts. more ›

Bananarchy, Austin's first-ever frozen banana stand, celebrates its grand opening this Saturday. The shop is the brainchild of UT alums Laura Anderson and Anna Notario, who launched the venture as an alternative to sno-cones, ice cream, and other summertime desserts. As part of the stand's tongue-in-cheek 'Bananarchist' sensibilities (their slogan, "revolutionary desserts," is all over the website, which looks like it finds its design inspiration from Commodore 64 video games), Bananarchy sources fair trade bananas and doles out recyclable spoons. more ›

Ozomatli live in Republic Park as part of the Solar Powered Concert Series. Photos courtesy Arnold Wells. more ›

One Community, One Pride is a fitting theme for this year’s Austin Pride, which takes place this weekend. In previous years, Equality Texas handled the Pride Festival while the Austin Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce handled the Pride Parade. But in 2008 the two groups worked together to host the events on the same day. Further proving the efficiency of the gay community, this year’s combined event was organized by the community via the Pride Coalition, an AGLCC program that includes seven representative LGBT organizations. more ›

The University of North Texas has a world renowned music program, known primarily for their high ranking jazz program and associated bands. But while Denton has spawned many notable jazz and classical musicians, their ranks have also inspired many other acts, including the "acid-punk" band Brutal Juice, who first appeared in the early nineties and have more recently reunited for shows, which included many appearances at the now-defunct Fry Street Fair in Denton. more ›

Sometimes boobs need some help staying healthy and happy, which is where you come in. Tonight is your chance to painlessly support the Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas. You can do it by drinking. At a bar. Something that you just might be doing anyway. This evening is the kickoff event for Opal Divine’s “Drink Pink” Campaign benefiting the Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas. This fundraising campaign will run throughout the summer at all Opal Divine’s locations. more ›

Aspiring pop stars and Indieroke champs may be happy to learn that producers of American Idol, who are already gearing up for the next season of the unstoppable series, will be making a stop in Dallas for auditions on June 26. more ›

Kill Bill star found dead in Bangkok. Obama attempts to heal relationship with Muslim world: "America and Islam are not exclusive." New York thief given gifts of compassion by store owner. Trial begins in North Korea for two American journalists. Still no answers for Flight 447. Texas GOP making us proud once again. So much for credit card reform. more ›

Photos from KGSR's Blues on the Green at Waterloo Park, Austin Texas, Jume 3, 2009 with Ruthie Foster. All photos courtesy Steve Hopson. more ›

The Helio Sequence is a lovely balance of enchanting and inspiring musical variety. Birthed in a Portland suburb in 1999, the group consists of Brandon Summers contributing vocals and guitar and Benjamin Weikel on keyboards and drums. The indie power-rock outfit has got it pretty well made in the music biz. But things weren't always so sweet. Following two epic, self-produced albums on Portland’s Cavity Search and six months of touring with major indie bands, Summers damaged his vocal chords and was unable to sing. After losing his voice, he was still optimistic for awhile until a doctor forbade him to sing for two months. Then it dawned on him—what will I do if I lose my voice permanently? more ›

Rick Perry makes Rush Limbaugh honorary Texan, saying, "God bless Rush Limbaugh!" A disturbing record: 200 executions under Gov. Perry (so far). 27-year-old Lance Cpl. Matthew G. Reza from Austin was killed in Afghanistan over the weekend. 30-year-old man charged with capital murder in recent death of 17-year-old LBJ High School student. Mother caught on tape at Dell Children's Hospital repeatedly putting feces through her 3-year-old daughter's feeding tube. Teenager smoking in bed starts a fire in South Austin apartment complex. Blanton Museum has a new director: Dr. Ned Rifkin, former undersecretary for art at the Smithsonian Institution. Councilmember Martinez wants you to stop texting while driving. more ›

A recent Nielsen report listed Austin as the fourth least-prepared city in the country for the upcoming DTV transition. In less than two weeks when television stations end their analog transmissions and broadcast only a digital signal, up to 30,000 Central Texas households could lose their television reception. more ›

Long Day’s Journey into Night by Eugene O’Neill will be presented at The Off Center directed by Lucien Douglas, Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and starring long-time Austin theatre bastions Ev Lunning, Jr. and Patricia Pearcy. more ›

For post-psych and prog fans everywhere, Cave's Psychic Psummer (Important Records) is a dream come true. Following the Chicago outfit's Hunt Like Devil/Jamz EP, this new full-length brings the group to a new level, offering major riffs, expert jams, percussion freakouts and repeating phrases that build into throbbing crescendos that would make Explosions in the Sky pee their pants. Pulling from Can's influential horizon-focused approach to songwriting, Cave takes intricate, crunchy guitar hooks and builds each song from the ground up. There's a lot of stuff in here for the metal stoner, but for fans of phrase elevation, Reich and digression, there's even more. Don't let the tie-dye and long hair fool you: these are thoughtful, talented guys with a serious devotion to the organized, detail-oriented jam. more ›

If luck was not on your side when you attempted to win tickets on Monday and you're still interested in catching Langhorne Slim at The Parish tonight, enter your information in the form below for another shot at going to the show on us: more ›

C3 Presents, along with yours truly, is proud to bring one of the long standing purveyors of the Madchester music scene to Austin this October. Initially a part of baggy movement, The Charlatans U.K. have stood the test of time since forming in 1989. Multiple number one albums in the U.K. have guaranteed the band legendary status across the pond but they never quite reached that level of success in the U.S. Still, records like Some Friendly, Up To Our Hips, and The Charlatans are classics in our opinion, and having seen them at Liberty Lunch in 1997 and again at Stubb’s at SXSW 2006, we can attest to their astute musicianship and impressive live show. more ›

Ahh, Passion Pit. A band named after a drive-in theater where prepubescents go to make out. The imagery pouring from their music indeed strikes feelings of school-kid age simplicity, fun and love of life. But there's something deeper. Beyond the synthesizers and electronic back beats, sincerity collides with a wistful narrative. They first hit the scene in early 2009 with their Chunk of Change LP, sufficiently snowballing into an "it band." By the time South by Southwest rolled around, the alliterated name was being muttered left and right and up and down. more ›

Over 450,000 Texans voted for the new license plate design, shown above, which features the new 7-character numbering system. The digitally-produced, full color plate depicts the Davis Mountains, Texas' most extensive mountain range, and will be available as soon as the Travis County tax assessor's office exhausts its supply of the current 6-character plates. more ›

• Osama bin Laden threatens Americans in new audio tape
• In Air France crash, deep seas stand between experts and answers
• Hiring practices of Google, Yahoo, Apple and other tech companies under federal scrutiny

At South Austin Marriott hotel, man posed as a cop and sexually assaulted a woman who had placed an ad on Craigslist. A third arrest made for the Spiros violence last week: Wendon Earl Candrick is accused of stabbing a music promoter before the shootings took place. The family of Nathaniel Sanders is suing the City of Austin, as well as the cop who shot Sanders. A community meeting was held last night on the Sanders shooting. A new HR Director for the city. Space Shuttle Atlantis made a pit stop in San Antonio today. DPS has to clarify confusing new booster seat law. more ›

Kemp Properties, an Austin-based developer, has agreed to buy the Starr Building on Sixth just west of Congress. According to the Statesman, Kemp will renovate the 75,000 square-foot building and preserve many of its mid-century modern features, including the Seymour Fogel mural in the lobby. more ›

You've had one chance today for the Windy & Carl show this evening at Central Presbyterian Church, but why not offer it again? The duo's performance marks the first non-SXSW show at the church (that we're aware of), and considering the frequency with which they tour (almost never), we've got two really compelling reasons to go. We're happy to give you one more nudge: fill out the form below and stay tuned: we'll notify two winners this afternoon and give them a pair of tickets to the show, on us. more ›

An ice cream expert takes a confusing stab at Austin's food truck scene in a blog post published on The Atlantic's website today. more ›

A great-grandmother from the Hill Country has taken on legal representation after being tasered and jailed for resisting arrest. more ›

Yesterday was Sine Die for the Legislature, but the State Senate skipped out before passing legislation to cover the operations of state transportation and insurance agencies through 2011 (the next legislative session). With this hanging over his head, Gov. Rick Perry will have to come up with some sort of solution. Does this mean a Special Session in the near future? Many suspect that one may have to called to resolve this issue, but neither the Governor nor House Speaker Straus think it necessary. . . yet. [Dallas Morning News] more ›

Rare Magazine’s 2nd annual “Rarest of Them All” awards will be held this Wednesday, June 3rd at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, from 6-10 p.m. The “Rarest of them All” issue, on stands now, highlights Austin’s favorite local businesses and people. The awards ceremony for the winners will be brimming with complimentary booze, food, music, and even fireworks after dark hosted by Wolf Stuntworks. In addition to performances by DJ Manny, Harlem, White Denim and headliner Grupo Fantasma, local reader’s choice vendors will host interactive booths to keep everyone entertained and out of trouble. more ›

In what will surely prove to be one of this year’s more inspired bookings, Dearborn, Michigan’s ambient heroes Windy & Carl will feature in the ecumenical confines of downtown Austin’s Central Presbyterian Church tonight. The husband and wife duo have been playing their brand of strangely comforting, guitar-generated soundscapes since 1993. For twelve of those last sixteen years, the duo have been releasing albums on Chicago’s haven for experimental and ambient recording artists, Kranky records, also home to former Austinites and Windy & Carl contemporaries Stars of the Lid. more ›

Known largely for its metal, punk, and hardcore shows, Red 7 mixes things up this evening by hosting one of the most gifted emcees around at the moment. Boston’s Mr. Lif (a.k.a. Jeffrey Haynes) first gained prominence at the turn of the century with a couple of stellar EPs on Definitive Jux Records. In 2004, Mr. Lif formed The Perceptionists with Akrobatik and DJ Fakts One; the trio’s debut record Black Dialogue arrived in 2005 on Definitive Jux. Mr. Lif’s prior full-lengths were also released on Definitive Jux but his latest, I Heard It Today dropped this past April on his own Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises. The new album, sans El-P produced soundscapes, is chock-full of Mr. Lif’s commentary on current events such as the dismal state of the economy. Although the lyrical content can get a bit tedious in this era of “Hope” and “Change,” there are plenty of invigorating beats to keep the listener engaged and we’re expecting quite a powerful show tonight. more ›

Brazilian military find signs of the Air France jet. Hey, this is as good a place to spend political capital as any. Burger King doesn't really believe global warming is baloney. Or so it says. This is just really sad: couple commits suicide after the death of their child. Home auto maintenance FAIL. That hot guy from "Terminator," in armor. more ›

Before falling open-armed into all that Max Tundra has to offer, you must first forgo your suspicion. Vintage electronics and unrepentant geekiness could point toward arty bliss or instead to a repetitious, ironic love of irony. more ›

Also out this week: Neil Young's Neil Young Archives, Vol. 1: 1963-1972, spanning the first decade of the legendary artist's career and featuring eight CDs with loads of previously unreleased and rare material. Another album we recommend checking out is Elvis Costello's latest, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, produced by T Bone Burnett and currently streaming on Costello's Web site. more ›

Some survivors of WWII’s Bataan Death March got their first in-person apology from Japan's ambassador to the United States, Ichiro Fujisaki. Some surviving POW’s at the San Antonio event were still angry about having been on a “Death March.” Today is the last day of the Texas Legislative session. Chances are they won’t get everything done. Dude who helped finance the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" campaign in the 2004 election is now bringing actual toxic sludge to Texas. Hog wild huntin' in Milam County. Turns out there’s no bag limit or season on the capture of wild hogs. Them’s good eatin’, too. (Don't forget to notify your local game warden if you'll be huntin' hogs at nighttime with spotlights!) BBC Scotland’s political editor compares Texas to Scotland. The Scots in the BBC’s comment section are mostly not amused by this. Conan remembered to visit the Alamo when he was recently in San Antonio. No word if he asked to visit the basement. Hey Austin, wake up and smell the transition to digital TV! A Nielsen report claims that -when it comes to the upcoming analog-to-digital tee-vee switchover--Austin is the fourth least-prepared city in the nation! more ›

Austinist is hosting a listening party and happy hour in the Mohawk's green room on June 9 to celebrate the release of Sonic Youth's The Eternal. Gerard Cosloy will DJ and Waterloo Records will be on-hand selling copies of the album. more ›

If you sell a single-family home in Austin that is more than 10 years old and gets electricity from Austin Energy, then from today onwards you will likely need to get an Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure (ECAD), unless you have recently participated in an Austin Energy residential energy-efficiency program or meet one of the other varied exceptions. Similar requirements are in place for multifamily and commercial properties, but not condos. more ›

Wit, charm, and an affecting voice aren’t the only things that Langhorne Slim (a.k.a. Sean Scolnick) has going for him. A penchant for addictive melody and the backing of talented duo Jeff Ratner and Malachi DeLorenzo (The War Eagles) further advance Scolnick’s wistful lyricism. And on record, especially 2008’s self-titled release on Kemado Records, Langhorne Slim’s brand of Americana is refined and accentuated by a variety of instruments like the tuba, accordion, and cello. Witnessing a spirited live performance by this hat wearing, guitar strumming troubadour puts a cherry on top of an already excellent offering, and we want to send you to the show for free! Enter your information in the form below for a chance to win two tickets to Wednesday’s show at The Parish. The evening of folk ditties kicks off with Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers and Sam Lowry & The Circumstance. more ›

In less than 24 hours, the Texas baseball team put together a pair of classic moments to win a regional title and move one step closer to the College World Series. more ›

Non-surprise du semaine: GM files for bankruptcy Devils and details of GM bankruptcy Sonia Sotomayor: "A passionate but civil activist" Controversial abortion provider shot dead in Kansas church The right-wing resume of abortion doctor's assassin Cali pastor: No wedding for you! Talent phenom Boyle checks into clinic China says "Not" to cocks in pots more ›

All this success and quality brought anticipation for this year's Veckatimest to fever pitch; tickets sold out for June 16th's show at the Parish room (with Here We Go Magic, alumni of our 2009 SXSW day party) before the album was even released. Chances are, you missed the boat, so we're pleased to offer a few chances to attend the show regardless of your ticket-buying trigger finger. more ›