One of Austin’s best country-folk hardasses is playing a set this Friday before embarking on a big tour of the U.S and Canada. Scott H. Biram made waves as a super-loud one-man band, but an injury put him out of commission for some time. He’s been making a comeback as of late, doing a session with KAOS radio, a few scattered sets, and now this show at Room 710 before hitting the road. Biram is supporting his May Bloodshot records release, Something’s Wrong/Lost Forever. He’ll be performing with Pure Luck, Woodsboss, and Supersonic Uke. more ›

Now this, this is going to be some kind of unhinged, goofy, and indubitably fun time. Atlanta’s the Coathangers are in town again, and this time around they’re supporting their new record and first for Seattle’s Suicide Squeeze label, the aptly titled Scramble. For a band that essentially began as a one-off joke at a house party, the Coathangers have gotten a lot of mileage out of a crass abortion reference and a sound that's somewhere between vintage Athens new wave and a ramshackle Kathleen Hanna tribute/novelty act. more ›

Is it blasphemy that an actor who once co-starred in "A Walk To Remember" alongside Mandy Moore is now fronting the recently reformed, legendary late 70s LA punk band the Germs? Some fans and punk rock figures think so. Although the practice of reviving a legendary band and replacing important members of the group after they’ve either died or moved on isn’t a new thing, this is perhaps an extreme example. Some of the criticisms of this current incarnation question the intensity and authenticity of an actor doing his best to mimic one of the more severe figures in American punk, Darby Crash. After actor Shane West, who you might also remember as a doctor on "ER", played the deceased Germs frontman in the band’s biopic "What We Do Is Secret" (2007), West and the surviving Germs - Pat Smear, Lorna Doom and Don Bolles - decided to reunite and tour on a semi-regular basis. more ›

• Iran protesters take to streets despite threats.
• Hopes fade for quick solution to Honduran crisis.
• Human rights groups say the Mexican army is using torture in their search for drug traffickers.

More than 25 years later, there's an arrest made for the murder of local musician Johnny Goudie's mother, Natalie Antonetti. more ›

People, we need to talk about food some more. Awhile back I was discussing my addiction to food memoirs, particularly in the audiobook format. The past couple of weeks—as if purposefully trading in soft creamy brie spread across hot crusty French bread for Dickensian gruel—I swapped out those delicious bits of ear candy for more somber audio food fare. Which is to say I listened to The Omnivore’s Dilemma and currently am in the midst of The End of Overeating. Those books have left me with enough food for thought to merit a two-part series. I’m going to save the grimmer news for Part II—next week. For now, I’m going to tell you about the positive upshot of taking in exposes on the industry of food. Months ago, even before I checked out the books, I’d already made a note to myself on my Goals For 2009 list to eat better and more local foods. more ›

About twenty to twenty-five people were smuggled into Texas through Mexico and held captive in Bastrop County, a man who escaped from his captors yesterday told authorities. When ICE and Bastrop County SWAT arrived on the scene (a single-wide trailer near Dale) yesterday evening, most of the hostages had been moved from the location. There were reports of some female hostages being sexually assaulted and of the three kidnappers keeping water and food from their hostages. Two of the three men in charge of the operation were arrested; Juan Carlos Sanchez-Camacho and Nabor Rodriguez-Guillen have been charged with seven counts of aggravated kidnapping. The Bastrop County Sheriffs Office reports that the kidnappers were demanding money from the families of their hostages. There are likely to be more details released on this story as the investigation continues. [News8Austin, Statesman] more ›

The openers for this festival are a strange mix indeed, but all the better for breaking musical genre barriers. Be sure to check out at least one night; these are supposedly the last of Spoon's Austin shows for awhile. Don't get too distracted with the openers, though. There's also some amazing after shows, including The Low Lows, Nakia & His Southern Cousins, and The Black. more ›

Spoon’s music is all about propulsion, while the Low Lows focus on creating inescapable drag forces behind their melodies. But both bands seem thematically engaged on distilling the complexity of their musical ideas down into almost impossibly simplistic statements. In Spoon’s case, it’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga- pre-symbolic infant babble or chord structure? And on the other hand, with The Low Lows it’s a penchant for psychic denials so thinly veiled as to call attention to their transparency, which has vocalist Parker noon crooning heartbreakers like "There is no such thing as Sara Jane." more ›

Kids are endlessly creative and/or insane, and anyone who has hung out with a 10-year-old for more than a minute knows that the stories they craft are sometimes more bizarre than anything a seasoned wordsmith could ever come up with. The Austin Film Festival's Summer Film Camp allows budding filmmakers to express those words through moving pictures and specifically in this case, through moving clay. The video is only 5 minutes and 52 seconds long, and the four short films contained therein are totally worth a watch. Our favorite happens to be the incredibly wacky Sacred Cupcake, by no-doubt-future-auteurs Colin, Connor and Sam, although all of the participants are to be commended for their super cool work. more ›

Google's pending settlement with authors and publishers groups will make more books from University of Texas libraries available online. more ›

A recent statewide survey shows that Governor Rick Perry is still the favored candidate versus Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in next year's Republican primary—though not by much. more ›

Do you know and like Providence roots-rockers Deertick? If you answered yes, you're as cool as Brian Williams and you're definitely going to want to see the band when they hit Emo's tonight. If not, you're actually less cool than Brian Williams and you'd better get on board with the 'Tick before Greta Van Susteren beats you to it. more ›

Part legal thriller, part true-life human drama, Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s The Garden has received a cascade of accolades since its release last year and now Austinites have a chance to see it. This Academy Award nominated documentary follows the plight of a few Los Angeles citizens as they fight to save their 14-acre public garden from the bulldozers of wealthy land developers, and judging from the trailer, a compelling struggle most definitely ensues. more ›

If you were young and impressionable in the late ‘90s, you might have been convinced into believing that rock and roll was petering out. Its replacement? The intersecting realms of IDM, electronica, or one of its many synonyms. more ›

G8 set global warming targets (while we swelter in Austin). Help the homeless survive the heat. Young punks: two teenagers responsible for the loss of 150,000 gallons of water in Johnson City and 420,000 gallons in Blanco. Sen. Cornyn could care less about what you think of his travel expenses. LA's tax dollars hard at work to remember MJ. Madoff won't appeal because he is about to hop the next jet to Ken Lay's private island. The size of the signs will definitely do the trick. more ›

What’s the Deal: They are a young duo - Kyle Wyss and Orha Chettri - making some elemental electronically inclined music fattened up with sounds and effects and landing somewhere in the vicinity of Animal Collective jacked up with psychedelic experimentalism. These two St. Petersburg, FL college students have received shimmering endorsements from a few blogs recently including Kanye West’s. They’ve released self-produced recordings in the past, but their new CD/LP, Season Dreaming, is due out August 18th on Kanine Records. more ›

Anyone that’s ever driven around Texas knows one thing for sure -- it’s friggin’ HUGE. Seriously. We’ve been all over this damn state at one time or another, and we feel like we have a pretty good idea of the geography. But we’ve never seen any place like Virgil, Texas. Now’s your chance to see this incredibly interestingly oddball (and totally fictional) town in David Byrne’s musical feature film, True Stories. The Austin Film Festival screens this 1986 cult classic as part of their Made in Texas Film series. The film screens at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum’s Texas Spirit Theater tonight at 7:30. more ›

Beasts With Hearts Of Gold is a beautiful little gem of a record. Jammed pack with twenty (yes, twenty) songs, it travels the distance between the beginnings of Guided by Voices and early Spoon with unpretentious ease. "Heart Poppers" is particularly Spoon-esque, David Jones' voice sounding so much like young Brit Daniel it's eerie. more ›

I have plenty of time to think about the progress of Austin as I pass exit-after-exit during my shorter-than-average commute from Northwest Austin to South Austin. Sometimes I wonder where the “cool” part of Austin stops and the “sprawling” part of Austin begins, or why I would never, ever walk (or bike) from my neighborhood to the two large grocery stores near my home, even though I would have happily walked over a mile to the market during my six-month stay in Munich. more ›

It looks like someone's totally hacked a bunch of Direct Events' venue websites — as of 10:13 a.m., Austin Music Hall, La Zona Rosa, and The Backyard's site are all pulling up a splash page, shown to the right, that reads "HaCKeD By EL_MuHaMMeD." more ›

After this mid-week show, Electric Touch will hit the road for a lengthy tour of the U.S. -- if you miss this show, catch them at the Granada in Dallas on Thursday -- and we're stepping up to give away a pair of tickets. more ›

• Family, friends, and fans say goodbye to Michael Jackson at memorial service
• Obama meets with G-8 leaders in Italian town still recovering from April earthquake
• Government websites hacked on July 4: Could North Korea be behind it?

The Statesman reports on a feud between nationally known chef Damian Mandola and real estate developer Jeff Maddux that has left four dogs dead and tempers flaring. [Statesman] more ›

Today, along with the attorneys general of 32 other states, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief asks the court to clarify whether the right to bear arms, guaranteed by the Second Amendment, extends to non-federal enclaves like states and cities. Abbott filed the request on behalf of a Chicago resident who has been prohibited by city ordinances from obtaining a handgun. more ›

In "Where is the Bush administration now?" news, the Statesman today noted that former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be instructing a Political Science class this fall at Texas Tech University. The class will cover "contemporary issues in the executive branch." Who gets to broach the issue of torture? [Statesman] more ›

What do you make of the fact that this quartet of Los Angeles dudes decided to name themselves after the venerable actor, Mr. Vigoda? Is it an honest tribute to the man who put his talents to work in The Godfather, or is it an ironic nod to this co-star of Good Burger and Cannonball Run II? You'll have the chance to ask the band yourself, as they visit Emo's inside for a performance this evening. more ›

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Congressional candidate Laney Melnick hopes that isn't true. As a result of a technical glitch, hundreds of people have received multiple emails from the Melnick campaign over the past few days. more ›

Mikhail Bulgakov, whose Black Snow is currently in the midst of a run by Tutto Theatre Company at the Salvage Vanguard Theater, is one of those figures it's hard to criticize on his work's merits, which is unfortunate. It's much safer to insist that the work's author is fully deserving of his exalted status, and that the flaws in the production belong to Tutto and director Dustin Wills. But the fact is that it's hard to imagine a better interpretation of Bulgakov's cranky, cartoony piece about what a bummer working in the theater was for him. more ›

Some contractors working for the Austin Water Utility struck a 54-inch water main near Barton Creek mall yesterday, and authorities are asking residents in South Austin to restrict their water use as much as possible while they work to repair the break. Thus far there haven't been any pressure problems, says the city, but as the line only has a 12-hour reserve and delivers over half of all potable water for South Austin, it's possible that the supply may run low before they're able to get things fixed. [News8] more ›

You might have already caught the Drive By Truckers September 26, 2008 performance on Austin City Limits, but today you'll be able to purchase your own copy. The release includes a DVD of the show as well as a CD; featuring the Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, Shonna Tucker, John Neff, Brad Morgan and Jay Gonzalez lineup from the Brighter Than Creation’s Dark tour. Lots of hits here from that album and previous works, including “Let There Be Rock”, “18 Wheels Of Love”, “Marry Me” and more. Currently the band is touring with Booker T. Jones, and will perform at the Jazz Aspen fest in September. more ›

Here’s your chance to catch a couple of future mainstream pop stars on us, as Greg Laswell headlines a double bill of burgeoning singer/songwriters tonight at Stubbs indoors. On his 2008 LP Three Flights from Alto Nido, the San Diego-based Laswell manages a significant tip of his cap to Coldplay and John Mayer without sacrificing his identity entirely in the process. To date however, he’s best known for his maudlin cover of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” and for having his ballad “Off I Go” featured on this year’s season finale of Grey’s Anatomy.

Opening the show are Brooklyn up-and-comers Elizabeth & the Catapult, whose debut album Taller Children has them poised to expand their adoring fan base beyond New York’s biggest borough, and propel them into the hearts of the NPR set. The trio is fronted by singer/songwriter/pianist Elizabeth Ziman, a student of the soul and jazz traditions, and whose songs are reminiscent of contemporaries The Bird and the Bee and Regina Spektor. E & the C seem to have their phasers terminally set to “cute,” so expect a healthy dose of whimsy along with their set of self-described baroque pop. Enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets to the show after the jump! more ›

There are few bands currently performing that can't shake Austin the way Spoon can't. Even though most of the band lives elsewhere, their presence lingers on the streets, in the record stores and in the bars. more ›

Photos from this weekend's third annual Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest. more ›

• Robert McNamara, Vietnam War architect, dead at 93
• Obama, Medvedev/Putin agree on nuclear cuts
• Obama's Russia visit to bring over $1.5 billion in deals

Third Base Sports Bar is teaming up with the Lance Armstrong Foundation for a benefit viewing of the Tour de France on Tuesday. more ›

Though the man behind Silent Land Time Machine keeps the project slightly mysterious, the music he produces lands squarely in the familiar. Eerie synths, weeping viola, violin, guitar, accordion, piano (and dozens of other instruments) fit neatly together creating tightly wound but ethereal compositions. &Hop Still earns references to A Silver Mt. Zion and Do Make Say Think -- fairly -- but for us its most reminiscent of Scenic's Aquatica. more ›

On Saturday, July 4th, the Austin Yellow Bike Project (YBP) held a free concert and released seven hand-painted, sunshine-yellow bikes at Wooldridge Square Park. People decorated the bikes with streamers, hand-made flags and pithy statements like: “Have Fun or Die.” The refurbished bicycles - “Free to Ride, but Not to Keep” - will serve as sharable public transportation. Pete Dahlberg, who drives a pedicab, organized the bike giveaway. The concert by The Invincible Czars closed with the 1812 Overture (minus the cannon sounds) and attracted a crowd of around a hundred. Grant brought his brown duck, Puddles, who rides around in a cage strapped to the back of his bike. “They make great pets,” he said. “You throw her up in the air and she flies right back.” That is how yellow bikes are supposed to work: once freed, they should stick around. more ›

For those of us interested in literal explosions in the sky augmented by live music modeled after the experience, Saturday night at Stubb's was a treat. Local post-rock heroes Explosions in the Sky rocked the sold-out crowd as fireworks exploded over Lady Bird Lake. more ›

Objectified, a feature documentary about the relationship between people and things, will revisit Austin movie screens this week following an appearance at SXSW 2009. Produced by Gary Hustwit, who also brought us 2007’s font-tribute Helvetica, this engaging film exudes a vibrant energy despite the fact that it primarily focuses on inanimate objects and how they came to be. more ›