Once upon a time a member of Deerhoof, Chris Cohen left that band and has made a new home for his sound in the poppy Cryptacize. After releasing the lovely Mythomania on Asthmatic Kitty, the band has regrouped as a four-piece and are touring in support of the album. more ›

The most recent project facilitated by testsite is Common Sense, a collaboration between venerable New York artist, Sheila Pepe, and curator of Arthouse at the Jones Center, Elizabeth Dunbar. Common Sense is an interactive installation of crocheted "networks" of yarn created by Pepe, who, throughout the show's duration, encourages visitors to deconstruct her art and incorporate her materials into their personal projects. When it was first assembled in late May, two main webs engulfed the living room and dining room of testsite in shades of green and orange. After a few open knitting sessions, the installation has no doubt changed; the exhibit's closing reception and final knitting workshop will be held this Sunday from noon-6pm. more ›

Daily heat indices are hitting 110+, the Austin electric grid is strained to its limits, and major cultural icons are dropping like flies. It must be time for Almost There Records to drop the newest edition of their annual local-focused Turn compilation series! It’s difficult to believe that it’s been five years since Ty Chandler founded Almost There, a local label that’s best known for the aforementioned compilation series, as well as tribute albums and hoot nights that feature local artists paying homage to legends like Paul McCartney, The Who, and Big Star. more ›

The tropical wave captured in the above satellite image is currently hovering over the western Caribbean Sea near Cuba, and if things escalate, it may turn into our first tropical storm for the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season. more ›

Malone’s been planning on releasing a new album for a while now and has apparently finished it, so keep a look out. He performs at dive bars, house shows and even Stubb’s inside. He’ll be playing at the latter Saturday night alongside The Eastern Sea with their haunting, melodic indie rock with the occasional sax and trombone and Jude/Ross’ melodic, Jonathan Richman-style pop. more ›

For nearly a decade, John Vanderslice has consistently accomplished the difficult task of seamlessly, and seemingly carelessly, blending the streamlined, edgy production he terms "sloppy hi-fi" with complicated lyrics expressed by cryptic characters. more ›

In Zach Scott’s biomusical Love, Janis, Janis makes sure the folks back home know she has no intention of becoming “the poor man’s Cher." This begs the audience to consider what kind of Garden Weasel churning old Pearl would be doing if she could see who passes for top female entertainers today. Hell, Janis, by way of comparison, Cher is Maria damn Callas! If you weren’t there, if you don’t know Janis Joplin’s music and story, it’s hard not to be stunned by the fact that this 23 year-old girl, without the benefit of a star machine, a manager mommy, winning a phone-in talent poll on the TV, or her own clothing line was able to ascend to the place she did and continue to be a subject of interest almost 40 years later. Love, Janis had a run in Austin originally over a decade ago and has also been successful in New York, Cleveland, and Chicago. A recent performance was impressively three-quarters full on a lovely Sunday afternoon, with an enthusiastic crowd of older people who had clearly been in their 20s at the same time Texas native Janis was. The crowd clearly indulged their catharsis. The stage is set up for a rock show with small sets to the left and right for break out vignettes. The dialogue, performed mostly by Sydney Andrews, comprises about half of the play and is taken from letters Janis wrote home and interviews she gave during her brief career. Interspersed are musical numbers, belted out with goose bump inducing grit by Andra Mitrovitch who has had the long-held honor of being the voice of Janis, performing worldwide with Big Brother and the Holding Company, Joplin’s original band. more ›

A couple of Texas’ finest homegrown talents vie for your time on Saturday evening. Take your pick from The Eastern Sea’s easy-on-the-ears indie-rock will be showcased at Stubb’s (Inside) while Ben Kweller will bring his country tinged pop songs to Emo’s (Outside). Get your tickets here for the Stubb’s show which also features sets by Danny Malone and Jude/Ross. Meanwhile, Jones Street Station and Murdocks open for Kweller at Emo’s -- tickets can be purchased here. more ›

The Nylon Summer Music Tour rolled out a quality line-up spearheaded by She Wants Revenge in 2008. This year, the series returns with Patrick Wolf as the headliner. Wolf’s unique brand of folk tinged electro-pop brings to his light his creativity as well as his talent as a multi-instrumentalist. more ›

Austin's first annual fashion week will be like no other, because it doesn't follow any rules. While New York, Milan, and Paris operate on the Fall/Spring schedule, we in the South like to see our fashion at peak season: summertime. From July 13-19, local boutiques will host weekly in-store events to showcase competing designers for the eventual Austin Fashion Awards ceremony, to be held at the Long Center on Sunday, July 19th at 5:30 p.m. more ›

The Texas-bound plane that crashed in Arizona on Wednesday was carrying over a dozen pounds of marijuana and a "large amount of cash" in a suitcase, the Statesman reports. The small twin-engine aircraft was being flown by 45-year-old Cedar Park resident David Tuntland from Santa Rosa, California, and had made a landing in Holbook, Arizona for refueling. Though possibly unrelated, Tuntland had also been suffering from severe stomach pains during the flight, and had to lie down while the plane was being refueled. According to authorities from the Arizona Sheriff's Office, the plane was under surveillance by Texas state police. All four passengers, including two other Cedar Park residents, were killed in the crash. more ›

• Iranian Cleric: Protesters at War With God.
• Record heat prompts weather advisories, all-time energy consumption.
• New 'no refusal' DWI legislation for Texas.

Just a few of Lev's many sleeping problems. more ›

As expected, Blake Griffin, the All-Everything power forward from Oklahoma, went first overall to the perpetually dysfunctional Los Angeles Clippers. Although the Clippers have an abysmal draft history when selecting forwards, Griffin is, by all conventional measures, the surest bet in an otherwise lackluster draft. Missouri's DeMarre Carroll represented the only other Big 12 action in the first round, going to Memphis with the 27th pick. more ›

Michael Jackson was rushed from a Los Angeles residence to UCLA Medical Center this afternoon, and passed away. more ›

Jean Paul Sartre's Hell is other people, but the people onstage in Carboni's production of Sartre's No Exit are less effective at creating the discomforting environment one would expect from eternal damnation than the distraction-laden Domy Books gallery, a block off the highway on East Cesar Chavez. more ›

Sometime in the midst of an Austin summer, an indoor event with fancy drinks is just what you need. For those looking for indoor wine drinking options in the immediate future, here are three events worth your time and consideration: more ›

Still lurking under the radar, Post Honeymoon are a Chicago-bred band with a sweet, but melodramatic pop sound. The love sparked between drummer Nick Kraska and keyboardist Rachel Shindelmansummer on a summer night in 2001 during a show at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. Both are former members of Bang! Bang!, New Black, but it took them three years to start playing together and three more before their shared nuptials, went on their first vacation together and started a solo project. Aptly named, their songs dictate that life after the honeymoon isn't almost so sweet. more ›

After a three week deluge of clutch hitting and come-from-behind victories, the Longhorns came up one win shy of claiming the school’s 7th national title, falling to LSU 11-4 on Wednesday night. Texas was plagued by ragged pitching all evening, and as a result it was Tigers celebrating their 6th national championship. more ›

hey’re not really sad accordions. They’re more like moody guitars, or melancholic keys. But, either way this Austin five-piece’s sound is peppered with folk, indie and atmospheric noise while glistening then dripping and coated with a bittersweet emotional vapor. more ›

The Austin premiere of Touch, written by Toni Press-Coffman and directed by Susie Gidseg, is the sort of performance that raises questions for the audience. Some of them, like whether it's fair to judge a person for how he grieves, are the sort that are comfortable to ask, if a bit sad. Others—for example, whether it's fair for a male critic to be wary of a play written and directed by women that uses a female character's rape and torture to explore a man's pain&mash;are less so. more ›

Austin Shakespeare presents its inaugural "Young Shakespeare" production The Comedy of Errors from June 25- 28 at the Curtain Theatre. Comedy is Shakespeare at his farcical best. Shipwrecks, two sets of twins, love on the rocks, long-lost relatives and a few lusty wenches - what more could one ask for? more ›

Monkey pees on a President. (No, really. We can't make this up.) Access to The Google in China is sketchy. This is what happens when you censor. No snarky headline for this "gay exorcism" story; it's disgusting. Two bodies of Flight 447's crew found. So much for voter values, GOP. REALLY, Citibank?! Keepin' it classy, Hal. more ›

Music was a big part of Doug Sahm’s life from a very early age -- he was just 11 when he not only released his first album but also had the honor of performing with the one and only Hank Williams. His esteemed career included a plethora of stellar recordings as a solo artist and with the Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornados, guaranteeing his legendary status in Texas’ music history. Sahm passed away in 1999. more ›

The road to Omaha, which began back in February for Texas and LSU, ends tonight as the two teams meet in the deciding game of the College World Series (6 pm, ESPN). more ›

Legendary Brooklyn MC, Blacksmith records CEO, and Ben Kweller sampler Talib Kweli rolls into Austin tonight to headline a jam-packed lineup at Emo’s. Kweli debuted in 1997, and almost immediately became an underground hero thanks to two landmark albums Rawkus albums, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, and Train of Thought, his collaboration with DJ Hi-Tek as Reflection Eternal. While Kweli’s solo output has been decidedly spottier, his status as a top-flight lyricist has never been questioned; what has been elusive to him is mainstream success. Although his latest LP Eardrum peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200, Kweli hasn’t yet achieved the commercial powerhouse status of a Jay-Z, Nas, or Kanye West. more ›

Veteran Austin post-rockers The Octopus Project have some exciting news - one, they've got a new EP out next month entitled Golden Beds, and two, they will further sweeten the summer with tour dates and vinyl reissues of their first two releases Identification Parade and One Ten Hundred Thousand Million. more ›

The trio of hardcore balladeers known as Double Dagger have made a big impact as of late not just in their native Baltimore, but all over (including, yes, the blogosphere) after the May release of More. more ›

For many designers and artists, typeface is an obsessive indulgence; after all, we are constantly visually inundated by the twenty six forms that make up our alphabet. An exhibit honoring the art of type is opening tonight at Domy Books. Alphabet will feature dozens of artists and their innovative interpretations of our lettering system including hand drawn illustration, experimental typography, found objects, and mixed media. Work by well known type designers including Ken Barber and Ed Fella will be joined by that of rising artists such as Hjärta Smärta and Andrew Jeffery Wright (who had a solo exhibit at Domy back in March). more ›

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

• Iran's supreme leader says the country will not yield to protests "at any cost"
• Doctor who treated her own breast cancer at the South Pole back in 1999 dies at 57
• South Carolina governor was in Argentina, not Appalachia

Lots of neat vinyl reissues this week, as well as other notable first-runs. B is for Bob comes out today, which is the first collection of Bob Marley's music to be rearranged for children. Also of note is a 7-cd Creedence Clearwater Revival box set, the first two R.E.M. albums remastered and reissued on vinyl, and much more. more ›

Following a 7-6 extra-inning loss on Monday, the Texas Longhorns are on the brink of elimination in the College World Series. Texas must win tonight to force a third and deciding game against the LSU Tigers. more ›

The Paramount continues their Depression-era comedy theme for the month with 1936's My Man Godfrey and 1937's Easy Living showing Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Both of these comedies throw everyday folk (if you can call a "forgotten man" everyday folk) into strange circumstances involving wealthy families. more ›

Did Austin music beget Austin City Limits, or vice-versa? Either way, the reputation of our city as the live music capitol would be woefully less true were it not for the thirty-plus years of ACL programming. As much as it is a staple of our music scene, the program itself is also squirrel-y and neatly secretive. It's sequestered away in the Communications building on UT's campus, and students of photojournalism intro class J316 could easily walk the building, overexposing their film and taking blurry photos without realizing history was being made below their feet. more ›

A swearing-in ceremony should be both solemn and fun. The rules are simple: dress up, bring your family, friends and staff, and speak briefly. At City Hall on Monday, two returning council members, Mike Martinez and Sheryl Cole, and two new members, Chris Riley and Bill Spelman, along with the new Mayor, Lee Leffingwell, took the oath of office. Leffingwell moves to the center position of what he called a strong city council. In a short speech, he cautioned that tax revenues continued to decline. Using a metaphor from his days as a pilot, he said, “We will arrive safely at our destination, but there might be some turbulence along the way.” Leffingwell offered no specifics on his budget priorities. The inaugural was also an opportunity for the council to thank outgoing Mayor Will Wynn for his nine years of service. Martinez praised his leadership and cited the welcome extended to Katrina victims as an example. Wynn and outgoing council member Brewster McCracken received sustained applause as they walked off the dais for the last time. more ›

The Invincible Czars, from catchy name to daunting stage presence, are a rare breed. They bring bizarre, but methodical math-rock heavily influenced by classical music, polka, and even some country and jazz. Self-described as "a rock soundtrack to a sci-fi film with interruptions by a myriad of genres," we couldn't agree more. more ›

Natanya Anderson, creator of The Everyday Foodie blog, wrote yesterday that she had received a cease-and-desist letter from a large corporation, saying Anderson's blog infringes on their trademark and intellectual property. Anderson said the letter ordered her to stop publishing at her current domain and to transfer all domain rights to the company. more ›

While setting up for a concert at the new Cowboys Stadium last weekend, some folks hooked up a Xbox 360 to the 72 x 160-foot LED wall and played video games in their full 11,520 square feet of glory. Check out the video. [Engadget] more ›

An aching mix of dewy and caustic, Lewis is at her best when confessional, and will certainly never suffer a shortage of idolatrous confessors. more ›

Held annual since 2006, "Can’t Stop the Serenity" is a global fundraising effort that benefits Equality Now, a nonprofit that works to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world. Like its name implies, the event is centered around a screening of writer/director/cult-hero Joss Whedon's sci-fi film, Serenity, which was based on the short-lived TV show, Firefly. more ›

SB 488 would have created a safe zone around special roadway users. Special users included pedestrians, runners, skaters, motorcyclists, cyclists, and more. The bill passed 26-5 in the Senate and passed on the local calendar in the House. It attempted to change current driver behavior (and possibly save lives) by criminalizing the near physical harm of fast-moving vehicles inches from your elbow. Governor Perry has some recent personal experience with pedestrian life on the road; he ran in this year’s Texas Independence Relay, a 203.2 mile race from Gonzalez to Houston. You can view the Governor’s objections here. more ›

It's a college baseball clash of the titans as Texas takes on LSU tonight in the finals of the College World Series in Omaha. The traditional powers have combined for 11 national titles and both have reached the best-of-three final series without losing a game in Omaha. Tonight's game begins at 6 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN2. more ›

Singer songwriter, Steve Earle performing at the Paramount Theater in Austin Texas, June 19, 2009. Due to his uncompromising songs he is known as "the hardcore troubadour". Earle performed songs from his recent tribute to his mentor, Townes Van Zandt. Photo by Steve Hopson. more ›

• A shocking error in cancer care.
• After seven months, reporter kidnapped by the Taliban manages to escape.
• Supreme Court sides with Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 (sort of) in their voting rights case.

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

After the dreary, drizzling Thursday, day two dawned sunny and beautiful in Toronto. Having missed the explosive rock of Austin's Ume the previous evening due to a schedule conflict, we made it a point to catch the trio's taping for a few blogs at some very interesting locations near the intersection of Spadina Ave. and College St. First up, the band performed a couple of songs in the basketball court of a nearby school, eventually amassed a crowd full of enthusiastic kids very eager to learn more about what was going on. "Who do you work for?" quipped one inquisitive girl. Another brought her guitar down to the court and started mimicking Lauren Larson's guitar chords. The boys were content in teasing their female classmates but eventually garnered enough courage to join in, dribbling the basketball in unison to the beat. more ›

"Every year, over 500 acts from around the world perform for 70,000 music fans and industry delegates at 40 clubs and outdoor stages during the four-day, four-night festival." No, it's not a SXSW marketing blurb from the early days, it's a legitimate summation of NXNE, Canada's own little festival that could. Now in its fifteenth year and much like its older counterpart in Austin, NXNE offers live performances by a fair share of underground and established musicians, tons of educational opportunities via panels, and a healthy dose of film, albeit largely music related. more ›