For those ghouls hoping to do some good before a night of naughtiness, Austin Pride Build is in need of some extra hands for their Open Build Day. No previous construction experience is necessary but feel free to slip into that construction worker costume anyway. Just RSVP on Facebook and then hop in your monster mobile and head on over to 2407 Towbridge Circle this Saturday morning at 8AM. more ›

OH SNAP! So, Austin is considered the Live Music Capital of the world? Well that’s not all that’s crackin’ up and spacklin' in and amongst our cultured ranks. Some of us can read, and certainly do. Which is why Austin is blessed to host the Texas Book Festival again for 2009. Music’s nice and all for listenin’ and whatnot, but BOOKS and WRITERS will be on the main stage this weekend at the Texas Book Festival! more ›

Tito Beveridge of Tito's Handmade Vodka gives The Informed Drink the scoop on time-honored recipes, how he got started, and accidentally making green vodka one time. more ›

exas is playing on the road, the weather should be great, so your excuses are scant. Two hundred and twenty authors and box loads of new books will be arriving. And, according to Clay Smith, this is an excellent year to be a reader. Be sure and check the Texas Book Festival schedule for any last minutes changes. Author Terry Tempest Williams, unfortunately, could not attend. An earlier interview with Clay Smith, the literary director, can be found here. more ›

Each Friday, we'll be offering up a sampling of Longhorn- and Big 12-related sports coverage making its way around the Web. This week: injured quarterbacks, OSU fans, and a man who's 40. more ›

Texas has nurtured more than its fair share of talented musical acts over the course of our esteemed history. Buddy Holly, Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, Roy Orbison, and Stevie Ray Vaughan have garnered worldwide fame and acclaim, but digging a little deeper and looking beyond every instantly recognizable musician from the Lone Star State uncovers some of the most unique acts to emerge from this land. And thus, we arrive at the Butthole Surfers, a legendary Austin band armed with a moniker that’s had parents and censors running for cover for almost three decades, and a sound that has largely defied categorization through the years. more ›

Ok, ok, it’s been said before, and it will all be said again, but something happens to a society on edge and at war, and that something is happening now, an subconscious shiver that plays out tangibly, and literally, not just on cable and the and radiowaves but in music venues across the U.S. Will 2009 ultimately be dubbed Year of the Freakout? There’s a case to be made there, as we all the meantime follow “Mad Men,” transfixed by characters grappling with identity issues, about to be caught in a riptide of racial politics and a national disgrace of a war. Hmm. Well, it’s a good year for Halloween, as citizens all over the political spectrum slog, wade, or tip-toe through suspenseful pauses. And the Black Angels, homecomers fresh off a tour with The Raveonettes, know this. That’s why they’re hosting a freakout, complete with an event poster featuring an ambivalent, Voltron-eyed Obama in a Jean Genet-esque pose. (We guess.) more ›

"Chris Bauer moved to Austin from New Orleans to work at the Barton Creek Country Club. He then opened Finn and Porter at the Hilton, worked briefly at Vin Bistro, and since February is Executive Chef at Mizu, which serves prime beef, cuttlefish sashimi, three creme brulees, and a "slow meat omelette" in a new building near Lake Travis on RR 620. I talked with Chris on the deck at Mizu about his menu, Texan wine, and his favorite Austin dinner." more ›

Imagine sitting in prison for a crime you did not commit. Then, ten years into a life sentence, another prisoner confesses, names an accomplice and signs an affidavit. That should be enough to get you out of jail, right? That is not how the system works. In fact, that confession might not matter at all. Two Texas prisoners, however, had the Actual Innocence Clinic in Austin and UT Arlington's Innocence Network dig into their case. They found that affidavit in 2007. more ›

Each week, we'll look at some reasons to taunt, belittle, and bully the Longhorns' football opponent. This week: the Oklahoma State Cowboys. more ›

'I would see Bill Clinton across the table. He would be eating a banana sandwich. He would talk about... stuff... There would be lurking secret service agents.' "Make sure you frame the goal positively. Don't say I have to quit smoking. Say, I will be happy when I can breathe clearly." 'I will be happy when Bill Clinton is eating a banana sandwich while sitting across the table from me... He will talk about... stuff. There would be lurking secret service agents.' "And make sure it's something you can influence. It can't be I wish he/she would do such and such. It must be initiated and influenced by you." 'Re-frame: I will be happy when I am eating a banana sandwich and Bill Clinton is sitting across the table from me... I will talk about... stuff. There will be lurking secret service agents, but I will make them go away.' more ›

It's been a long and glorious eight days, eight days during which we saw some extremely memorable and well crafted films, got to listen to talented, engaging filmmakers and screenwriters, and enjoyed the company of other cinemaphiles at the Austin Film Festival. But the show's not over yet, and tonight you have one final chance to catch some brilliant flicks that have already received some great buzz. more ›

"[Lippincott] stormed into the salon in the middle of business hours, yelling, 'Get out!' at salon employees, and shouting, 'You are trespassing! This business is closed!' Employees were then told to gather their personal belongings and vacate the salon immediately, at which point the doors were locked for good." more ›

Vic Chesnutt is currently touring in support of his latest record, At The Cut, and from this album and its tour are trailing an entourage of indie notables. Featuring Guy Picciotto of Fugazi and David Payant of Silver Mt. Zion, the Vic Chesnutt band wraps up its tour with a show that promises to be a singularly appropriate pairing between band and venue at Central Presbyterian Church. We’re excited about this one, because church rafters seem to be the natural habitat of Vic Chesnutt’s voice—a voice so compelling it isn’t outdone even by the instruments of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. more ›

My life as a study in contrasts extends to my travel. I am a fan of getting in very large airplanes and hurtling thousands of miles to get to places where I can then dispense with all modes of transportation besides my feet. I enjoy hanging out in little towns and villages where the best live entertainment comes in sitting around, drinking coffee amidst the locals, alternately eavesdropping and participating in the conversation. Such it was, then, that last week I headed off for Oregon. For the fourth year running, I lighted temporarily in Portland, then joined forces with my friend David, whereupon the two of us headed on over to Astoria, a town famous for a few things. This is the place where the Columbia spills into the Pacific, Lewis and Clark wrapped up their little walk, and Goonies and Kindergarten Cop were filmed. And it’s the first town in Oregon Country where a white woman—an English barmaid named Jane Barnes— lived. more ›

Efforts to "rehabilitate" the sod were stymied by the rain, which has created several small wading pools throughout the park—Austin Parks and Recreation asks that visitors avoid those areas. more ›

Today's second offering in our three part series Halloween at the Movies presents you with a list of the different horror features currently (and by currently we mean as of Friday, October 30) playing at one of our many fine theaters around town. If you don't feel like staying home Saturday night (Halloween night), but aren't feeling the social vibe, then we suggest taking a peek at one of the films below so you can successfully avoid trick-or-treaters, and enjoy the spirit of the holiday. more ›

Next Sunday, November 8th, they're toasting the humble fennel, a vitamin C-rich plant that has antioxidant properties and, uh, keeps your colon healthy. Best of all, the meal is free—"in celebration of the flavorful bulb and to thank his loyal family of customers," says Chef Gabriel Pellegrini. more ›

With Gossip, you're going to get a seasoned group of creative minds who are truly talented. They've got ten years under their belt in which time they've pumped out four full-length albums, a bunch of EPs and a live album. They've toured with Cindy Lauper, Le Tigre and CSS and have been remixed by MSTRKRFT, among others. Self-proclaimed feminists, Gossip must have thought it'd be cute to call their latest album "Music for Men." more ›

Remember that part in Jurassic Park when Ian What's-His-Fuck says something along the lines of, "They were so busy thinking about whether they could. No one stopped to think whether or not they should"? Murder Ballad Murder Mystery is like Jurassic Park sans dinosaurs and coherent narrative (right down to the theme of dead things being resurrected). Oh, it's visually stunning, resourceful, raucous, and joyous theatre-making, but there are clearly ill-conceived aspects to the whole affair. While fresh, the piece is unripe and therefore minimally nutritious. more ›

The gang goes as the Royal Tenenbaums for Halloween more ›

What’s the Deal: Not to knock musical threesomes or anything, but when one makes themselves sound like there’s a lot more going on than just a guy on guitar, a guy on bass and another on drums they stick out from the pack. Russian Circles have been called post-metal and post-rock, but really they’re a thick, evolving, expanding instrumental group making the most out of their equipment, drawing forth everything from metallic chugs and thrashes to flickering chimes and climactic cymbal crashes. Fun Fun Fun Fest this year will welcome the Chicago group as they tour in support of their third album, Geneva. more ›

The No. 2-ranked Texas volleyball team will go for a record 27th consecutive win Friday in a Top 5 matchup against No. 8 Nebraska at Gregory Gymnasium. more ›

Photos courtesy Pooneh Ghana. more ›

We've talked a few times about the Austin Batcave, a non-profit organization that aims to further the writing skills (both creative and non-fiction) of children and teenagers. more ›

Twitter just launched a new feature called 'Lists', which allow you to create smaller subsets of those you're following. We're embracing this nifty new idea and creating a bunch of Austin-specific lists, both to help us navigate all of our online friends and to help you guys better sort out what's happening locally. more ›

What would you do if you had Saddam Hussein laid up in the shed behind your house? What would you ask him, and how would you imagine he'd answer? We can think of a handful of good questions right off the bat, so it's unfortunate that the characters in Baghdad Texas can't think of anything to ask one of the world's most famous dictators in the middle of the Iraq War. more ›

It’s not that Warpaint doesn’t want you to read the proverbial writing on the wall; this beguiling psychedelic outfit has smudged the message simply because they like it better that way, and you probably do, too. Offering you a hit of backlit, smoky lullabies sung in dreamy female harmonies, it’s no wonder this Los Angeles band has gained both Hollywood devotees (Heath Ledger was among them), and a reputation for stealing live shows from their headliners. more ›

Photos courtesy Steve Hopson. more ›

• Mayor Leffingwell announces his downtown plan. (PS - No mention of condos!)
• Five arrested in alleged gang rape at homecoming dance in California.
• Get ready for ski season!

If you're like a good deal of us you may not have any kind of clue what you'll be doing for Halloween this year. Or, maybe it is just us. Regardless, over the the next few days we'd like to provide you with a hefty dose of options for you to partake around town that combines the wonderful world of film with a thematic relation to our country's greatest holiday that we don't get off from work. more ›

• Dallas Police Dept. tackles teen prostitution by looking for teen runaways. The result: "guilty pleas from over 90 percent of the pimps arrested."
• Yikes! Paul Saucido, host of ME TV’s show “Sonido Boombox” has been arrested on charges of sexual assault.
• Yikes! San Antonio teacher charged with sexual assault, after he allegedly created a “secret society” and used the Bible to convince underage girls to have sex with him.

Happily, Mike Million’s script shows innovation and admirable restraint, resulting in a finished film that only vaguely resembles a standard commercial comedy. Charlie Thurber (played by Wilson) is trying his best to earn tenure at Grey College, where he is a well-liked but professionally underachieving English instructor. When a whipsmart new hire from Yale (Gretchen Mol) enters the mix, threatening his chances at a job for life, Charlie’s pal, anthropology professor Jay Hadley ( David Koechner) eagerly steps in to help sabotage her career. more ›

With Fun Fun Fun Fest fast approaching, be reminded that the festival also includes a number of comedians. Chelsea Peretti is among the standup acts on this year's bill. The New Yorker does a full circuit of stage shows and gets booked on college campuses, but she's also a regular on Tru TV's "The Smoking Gun Presents," one of the masterminds of BlackPeopleLoveUs.com, and a writer whose work has been featured in publications including Details, Playgirl, and the Village Voice. more ›

Fun Fun Fun Fest is just a couple of weeks away and we sure are licking our chops in anticipation of what promises to be the biggest installment of the emerging annual festival. The organizers have been keeping busy, doling out tickets weekly via their Tuesday Trivia on Twitter contest, and last Saturday, over 40 teams participated in a Scavenger Hunt to win a whole host of prizes. Check out all the pictures -- you won’t regret it! more ›

While in town last weekend to host their Found Footage Festival, program curators Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher, managed to track down the genius behind one of our city's hidden video treasures: "At Home With English," a public access show that was hosted by Austinite Greg Thompson. more ›

However hard it was for you to make it to your high school each morning, the teen moms at Catherine Ferguson Academy in Detroit likely have it harder. In Grown in Detroit, the principal says that it takes some girls 2 hours and multiple bus routes to get to school (especially since the auto lobby held back any progress on Detroit's mass transit system). Catherine Ferguson Academy is unique in that it is only one of a few schools in the nation geared exclusively towards pregnant teens/teen moms. Another factor that makes this school unique: they have their own urban, organic farm. more ›

What is left to say that hasn’t been said, written, or sung about this motley crew? Rumors of Shane MacGowan’s death have been greatly exaggerated, and 27 years on from their founding, The Pogues remain one of the rare bands that deserve to be on anyone’s “see before you die” list. The fact that we have an opportunity to witness the London troupe reunited with talisman Shane MacGowan at the helm is somewhat miraculous—after MacGowan was dismissed from the group in 1991 for his erratic and unreliable behavior, the band experimented for a brief time with Joe Strummer and then original member Spider Stacy on vocals before fizzling out temporarily in 1996. Most assumed the group would be relegated to the history books at that point, but the original members (including MacGowan, minus bass player Cait O’Riordan) reunited briefly in 2001, and since then have gradually worked their way up to playing several dates a year. more ›

The Pablove Foundation is a California-based organization whose aim is to "improve the lives of children with cancer, at both a national level as well as a local level here in Los Angeles." more ›

Install recumbent bicycle benches at CAP Metro Bus stops? Outdoor stair climbers on Congress Ave.? In-ground trampolines on Guadalupe? Criss-crossing balance beams on 2nd Street? Concrete ping pong tables at intersections throughout town? Climbing boulders on East 5th Street? Let's face it, many of you would consider me quite out of my mind if I were to suggest that we turn Austin into one big playground, a landscape of physical challenges and gleeful adventures by installing outdoor stair climbing machines, 30 foot wide slides, rock climbing boulders and in-ground trampolines at our bus stops, on our sidewalks and in the unused spaces of our overly wide streets. The diagnosis of insanity would surely be cemented were I to claim that by creating a streetscape that is more challenging to traverse we will lure children away from the television, increase their mobility, create a generally healthier Austin and decrease our community health care costs. more ›

Former AMD chief executive officer Hector Ruiz finds himself tied to an alleged insider-trading case, raising questions about his business practices around an AMD spinoff company. more ›

The internet is undecided - are the Dirty Projectors worthless, off-key hacks, or is their 2009 album Bitte Orca the Best Album Ever? more ›

Photos courtesy Pooneh Ghana. more ›

When at a loss in descriptive powers, resort to metaphor: if bands were wines, Shearwater would be a French Chardonnay. Their sound is rich yet delicate, smooth and fleshy, packing tightly layered elements that offer to the palate lush sonic fruits with a proud, metallic Old World austerity. It's easy to imagine Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg in monk's robes tending to ancient vines. But luckily for audiophiles, he's currently tending to a new release instead- The Golden Archipelago, due out early next year. (Fun Fun Fun Fest attendees just may be treated to a sample pour, if you will.) Jonathan was gracious enough to take time out to answer a few of our questions and whet our palate. more ›

That’s right. Someone who worships Conan O’Brien believes Todd Barry to be “Icky”. So that puts him amongst the ranks of Gonzo journalism and oh who gives a shit what O’Brien’s viewers think. Todd will be visiting Austin for Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009! But not to protest Eugene Mirman! more ›

• Militants bomb Pakistan market hours after Clinton arrives in country
• Gunmen storm guest house, kill UN workers in Afghanistan
• San Francisco's Bay Bridge closed indefinitely due to fallen debris

Rep. Nasishat 'steps in' KUT controversy. more ›

Just like ACL, the early performers at Fun Fun Fun Fest often get overlooked or brushed aside. We highly recommend checking out one of these early bands, because many are just on the brink of popularity. And once that happens, they won't be cool anymore. Astronautalis, aka Andy Bothwell, admits his fear of popularity, but isn't holding back in the meantime. A lone rapper from Jacksonville, Flordia, Astronautalis first started turning heads in Seattle. more ›

Customers hoping to get dolled up were instead greeted by a darkened storefront outside Ann Kelso Salon on Monday, as the shop was locked by property owners for failing to pay rent. more ›

After four years, Brian Chippendale (drums) and Brian Gibson (bass) are back with their follow-up to 2005's Hypermagic Mountain. Luckily, time hasn't caused the Providence-based duo to forget their roots. They're still pummeling listeners with raucous, unabashed noise and fuzzed-out low ends. On Earthly Delights, they venture a bit closer towards the metallic fringes of rock, offering what sounds like a bit of Albini-influenced tone. "Sound Guardians" rips through the history of punk rock, turning it on its head a couple times over (with speed), and "Colossus" comes close to being a rock ballad, oozing happily distorted bass lines drenched in Gibson's howl. All in all another solid release from a pair of hyper-metal noise rockers. more ›

Halloween is just around the corner and it’s natural to gravitate towards all things dreary and sinister leading up to October 31st. Especially in light of the gloomy weather in Central Texas lately. But if you’re in the mood for irresistible melodies garnished with glistening synthesizer and drum machine beats, head down to The Mohawk tonight for a hearty helping of Islands’ shiny pop songs. Although the Canadian band’s lyrics have been known to contain some dark subject matter, their forte is undeniable hooks and hum-along choruses, the kind that bounce around in your head all day. The duo of Nick Thorburn and Jamie Thompson formed Islands in 2005 following the demise of The Unicorns and released their debut album Return To The Sea in April of 2006. Thompson left the band shortly after, leaving Thorburn to spearhead 2008’s Arm’s Way but rejoined the ranks prior to Vapours. The new album (released last month) finds Thorburn, Thompson, and company in good form, fine-tuning an accessible collection of atmospheric synth-pop soundscapes to perfection. more ›

Paul Feig, creator of Freaks and Geeks and director of every-other-critically-acclaimed-show-that-the-cool-kids-love, came to bedazzle a number of extremely lucky panels at the Austin Film Festival this weekend. On top of marrying Jim and Pam on The Office a few weeks ago, Feig is currently directing Showtime’s Nurse Jackie and HBO’s Bored to Death in New York. Given that Feig’s X-Men ability is apparently multitasking (have you read his books or figured out that he’s a Twitter connoisseur yet), Austinist tracked the incredibly charismatic man down for a series of questions at the Stephen F. Austin hotel. Note: Paul was kind enough to provide actual detailed answers and anecdotes to each question, so we decided to forgo editing out...pretty much anything. In fact, scratch out interview because this is now deemed Storytime with Paul Feig. more ›

Fun Fun Fun Fest is just around the corner (November 7th and 8th), so let's get to know a few more of the acts performing. Here we'll look at punkyish stuff from both new hotness No Age and the reunited glory of Face to Face. more ›

• In case you didn't hear...public option lives to see another day.
• Recession is "over"...but job losses continue, so who cares?
• Sobering words from a Foreign Service officer who is resigning because of the Afghanistan war.

In a roadside diner somewhere in Connecticut, on a snowy afternoon, Caleb Sinclair (Adam Scott) takes a momentary break from his omnipresent cigarettes to tell his younger brother Peter (Alex Frost), whom Caleb is reluctantly chauffeuring home for Thanksgiving holiday, that all women are whores. So begins the misanthropic and misogynistic journey of The Vicious Kind, the new feature by precocious writer/director Lee Toland Krieger (at 24-years-old and two feature-length movies under his belt, precocious may be an understatement). more ›

There are lots of goodies on tap tonight, from the festival's most outrageous documentary to a Chinese historical epic. Docs are definitely on show, starting with Floored, about the traders on Chicago's stock exchange. Already one of the most interesting jobs in America, we're expecting some memorable characters up in here. more ›

Monster-themed dance parties, a boat party, and, of course, zombies: Halloween in Austin offers something for just about everyone. Check out our roundup below, and shoot us an email if there's something we've missed. more ›

• Is this a workers’ comp injury? Dude badly cut himself while allegedly breaking into “Big Bang Custom Paint and Body” in Killeen. He was arrested after he got out of the hospital!
• This reads more like an action-movie plot than a headline: “Vehicle crashes into home, hits baby. Baby expected to be OK.”
• Dallas-area church really wanted 18 cohabiting couples to get hitched…so they footed the bill for a big wedding! The wedding was part of a lecture series called, "The Real Flava of Love."

Dan Bejar of Destroyer—who moonlights with the Spencer Krug and Carey Mercer supergroup Swan Lake, as well as the Neko Case and A.C. Newman supergroup The New Pornographers—is known as a writing virtuoso, one of those few and proud and usually-called-crazy in music who bring true artfulness to the words themselves, and not just the instrumentation. Inspired by his upcoming appearance at Fun Fun Fun Fest, we thought there’d be few better things than to give Dan an opportunity to jot a few things down, so we shipped off to him a handful of questions and said have at it. And he did, and delightfully so, citing Lorca and the Duino Elegies, his prejudice for Wallace Stevens over Robert Frost, how fucked most musicians would be if they had to truly worry about lyrics, and why maybe someday he’d write a book if only he weren’t “a complete stranger to real work.” Needless to say, when he takes the Yellow stage at 8:45 on Day One of Fun Fest, we’ll be in the audience, following every word. more ›

• 16 Americans dead in Afghanistan helicopter crash
• NY Times: Iraqi blast toll worse than feared
• 800,000,000,000,000 pennies in those healthcare couch cushions?

Let’s turn our attention now to a pair of bands we’re excited to see on the first day of Fun Fest's aught nine edition, San Diego’s Night Marchers and Tokyo’s Melt-Banana. Both groups, despite playing two very different styles of music, are touring veterans with highly respectable punk pedigrees. more ›

Photos courtesy Tyler Nutter. more ›

The Screenwriter's Conference is over and done with, so now it's just down to the films. Here are our picks for Monday at the Austin Film Festival, including some you may have missed the first time around... more ›

Angela Chase said it best in My So-Called Life: "There's something about Sunday night that really makes you want to kill yourself." Well you know what she didn't have? The 16th Annual Austin Film Festival. Here are our picks for the AFF Sunday happenings that will make you so incredibly thankful to be alive today. more ›