One can only imagine the reactions that someone like Bob Ragan gets when he tells people what he does for a living. Stone carver? Really? ...Wow! This reaction would be accompanied by a perplexed look as people realize what that entails. Followed by the natural conclusion that it's pretty damn cool. But, part of the puzzlement for those few seconds has to be figuring out what it actually does entail? Well, for anyone who ever wanted a peek into how stone is carved, now is your chance. Ragan, along with fellow professional stone carvers Matthew Johnson and Stuart Simpson — also known as Flying Fingers Stone Co-op — will bring the wow factor to East Austin Studio Tour with on-site carving demonstrations this weekend and next. more ›

Former Austin Mayor Roy Butler has died after suffering a fall last weekend. During his two-term career, Butler increased the police department budget by 40%, doubling the size of the force. He still retains the record for most votes received in an Austin mayoral race. [City Beat] more ›

Akron/Family will be back in town Wed, Feb 24 at the Parish with Warpaint. more ›

Pornographically peppy Canadian indie fronstman Joel Gibb has describes his Hidden Cameras sound as "gay church folk music." (This is a congregation we would definitely join.) He has also called for a ban on marriage, and suggested "let's do it like we're underage.” While he cheerfully scampers through lyrics we don’t need his degree in semiotics to interpret (and blush at), audiences at Hidden Cameras shows have in the past been treated to not-so-hidden go-go dancers, cheerleaders, video, glockenspiels, very irreverent choirs, and other things perhaps best described as etc. Just think of an agitprop Polyphonic Spree cabaret show peppered with Foucault references. You may also be asked onstage to play tambourine. more ›

Every now and again an everyday object will catch our eye with its clean lines, its bright alluring colors, and simple sophistication. Such is the case with every cup Melanie Schopper designs and makes. Using a clay process known as slip casting and her uncanny eye for color combinations, Schopper is able to bring new life to a traditional form. A member of Handmade Austin Women, Schopper will be showing her work at Ginko Studios (800 Gullett St.) during this year's East Austin Studio Tour. more ›

If only most romantic films were as honest as an Ola Podrida track. More contained, if not as muscular, as 2007’s self-titled album, Belly of the Lion plays nimbly with the tension between his expansive sound and his inward lyrics. Its opening track, “The Closest We Will Ever Be,” initiates a theme inverting the typical freedom-of-the-open-road ballad. Against tableaus of sprawling Americana play out not visions of freedom, but tender appreciation for interpersonal tethers. Mournfully, but without resignation, Wingo sings, "There's always some shadows within the prettiest of scenes/ I'll cast one on you, and you'll cast one on me…That’s alright if this is the closest we will ever be.” more ›

Almost completely unadaptable for the silver screen, David Foster Wallace's work has been something that most screenwriters wouldn't dare touch, what with the monolithic footnotes and the complicated structure of his prose. This precedent, however, was not enough to deter a young John Krasinski (who you may know as Jim from The Office or from this spring's Away We Go), who began adapting the 336 page collection of unbridaled male-mind ruminations when he was in his early 20s. Over seven years later, Krasinski's passion project Brief Interviews with Hideous Men will be hitting the theaters this weekend, with several already-sold-out live appearances by Krasinski tonight and tomorrow at Austin's own Alamo Drafthouse Ritz. SInce not everyone will be able to attend those particular screenings (but there are still plenty screenings of the film without the writer/director/actor for you to check out), we decided to chat with Krasinski about his motivations behind this project, the value of truth and honesty, and what it feels like to step inside the mind of one of America's finest literary treasures. more ›

The annual Lovexotic fundraiser this Saturday is a celebration of world cultures to benefit Family by Choice, a worthy local nonprofit that provides adoption services for LGBT couples, single adults, and other families throughout Texas. more ›

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

The memories of Fun Fun Fun Fest remain vivid and fresh, and after that amazing yet exhausting weekend, surely we could be excused for a taking a deserved break to recharge our bodies. No such luck in our beloved city which refuses to rest on its laurels. Yes, just a week after that immense gathering of music, comedy, and arts, Massive Beacon, Reversal Films, and The Dark Agency present the second annual ATX Converge at The Mohawk. more ›

• Alleged Fort Hood shooter paralyzed from waist down, lawyer says.
• Obama's options limited by Afghanistan and Pakistan's less-than-reliable governments.
• Federal drug reform legislation in the Congress.

Ah, screen printing - a vexing mistress are you. So difficult, but so handy. Over 100 years old, traditional screen printing requires large and unwieldy accouterments - imagine an exploded Xerox machine with parts sticking out everywhere - but a whole century later, its untidy appearance belies its staying power and demand. The boys behind Bearded Lady, a local screen printing outfit here in Austin, should know. Josh Chalmers and JD Fanning started their studio in 2000, developed a large enough client base to go full-time in 2002, and today, work with everyone from local bands to Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios. We asked Chalmers to chat with Austinist about Bearded Lady, which is gearing up for participation in the East Austin Studio Tour. Visitors can drop by at 3504 East 4th Street - # 47 on the EAST map - and in addition to gawking at comely band posters and design projects, you can also visit with Bearded Lady's security personnel (i.e. very small, very adorable dogs). more ›

Transportation for America has ranked Austin-Round Rock as the 19th most dangerous metro area for pedestrians among the 52 largest metro areas in the United States. They calculated that walking in Austin was slightly less dangerous than walking in Texas as a whole, but substantially more dangerous than walking in the rest of the nation as a whole. Texas spends approximately 1% of its federal transportation funds on pedestrian projects, compared to 1.5% nationwide. more ›

CBS journalists must appreciate the University of Texas; the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History already holds papers from the careers of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, and today it was announced that Morley Safer is donating his papers to the same Center. Safer says the Center's journalism archive "has no equal. It is a gateway to learning the eyewitness history of who we are, who we were and how we perceived ourselves as a nation." more ›

Every field has its Michael Jordan—the figure whose work becomes the definitive example of how to do it. For physics, there's Einstein. For hip-hop, there's Jay-Z. For American musical theater, there's Stephen Sondheim. The artform, for the past fifty years, has had its original limits defined, and then broadened, expanded, and broken, by his work. With a resume that includes West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods (along with sixteen other shows), there's really not anyone else who comes close to his influence. more ›

“This is an administration hell-bent on taking America towards a socialist country,” said Perry in a speech this morning. The video footage, via myWestTexas.com, is reposted after the jump. more ›

While the East Austin Studio Tour offers the opportunity to discover new artists opening their studios to the public for the first time, it is also a great time to visit and catch up with established artists that have been a part of the Austin art scene for many years. Such is the case with Daniel Burns, an artist known for his soulful depictions of Austin landmarks and a past participant of EAST. Burns has just returned from a two-year stint in New York where he lived while his wife, Cari, completed her graduate degree. Happy to be back in Austin, Burns brings with him a new series of paintings created on the streets of NYC that pulsate with the same jubilant energy inherent in the city itself. Straight from the book of the early French Impressionists, these En plein air works capture a snapshot of modern life in the moment. His quick, fluid brushstrokes and vibrant colors perfectly evoke the bustle of a busy afternoon in downtown Manhattan. In addition to Burns' new paintings, this year's tour participants will also get to see prints from his Austin Landmarks collection. more ›

As illustrated by the back hatch of my Scion (aka the Japanese ambulance) I am a big fan of pithy expressionism. I leap and swing from motto to slogan to uber-encapsulated life wisdom as if playing some sort of philosophical hopscotch. If it fits on a bumper sticker and moves me, I will adopt the approach, if only briefly. Let’s call it stuck-in-traffic therapy—you’re sitting there, gridlock, and you let your eyes shop around for that which appeals: Wag More, Bark Less; Be the Change that You Want to See; Breathe; Namaste; If You Don’t Like My Driving Call 1-800-Eat-Shit. And then, of course, there are all those utterly unique rearranged Waterloo messages. (My son’s is a favorite, enigmatically proclaiming: This Whip Slays Dragsons on the back of an old SUV.) I also cull advice and inspiration from t-shirt slogans, though this is a bit more challenging. Self-trained to not look at boobs—though like the rest of y’all, I really am intrigued by the miraculous mounds of mammary magnificence—I miss out on a lot of cools text and graphics. I have even extended my never-lock-eyes-with-nipple-line rule to menfolk, wanting to be fair and all. So I must consciously remind myself that if a slogan is being sported, the wearer does want you to look. more ›

It's possible that you could call writer/director Brant Sersen a cultural anthropologist. With a knack for exploring various subcultures, albeit in a ficticious way, he has created two feature length films now that ingratiate themselves into not often profiled communities. The first, Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story, which won the Narrative Feature Audience Award at SXSW 2004, chronicled the rise and fall of a paintballing icon. Sersen's second, Splinterheads, is opening this weekend in Austin at the Regal Arbor Cinema, and brings us the story of a manchild townie who's life is suddenly swept up in the absurd world of a traveling carnival as he is enchanted by one of its minions: a beautiful, geocache enthusiast con artist. We had the pleasure of exchanging an email dialogue with Sersen this week, wherein we talked about discovering things you may not have had the opportunity to ever see, the inspiration behind his storytelling and the publicity benefits of being linked with the Montauk Monster. Sersen's second, Splinterheads, is opening this weekend in Austin, and brings us the story of a manchild townie who's life is suddenly swept up in the absurd world of a traveling carnival as he is enchanted by one of its minions: a beautiful, geocache enthusiast con artist. We had the pleasure of exchanging an email dialogue with Sersen this week, wherein we talked about discovering things you may not have had the opportunity to ever see, the inspiration behind his storytelling and the publicity benefits of being linked with the Montauk Monster. more ›

Outside of the Archie or superhero world, comic art lurks in some fairly dark places. Three of the most prominent members of the alternative comics movement will be at the Bass Concert Hall on Friday to discuss their art, work, and the culture they've helped to create. Robert Crumb, founder of the underground comix movement, will join Art Spiegelman in a discussion moderated by fellow artist and Spiegelman's wife, Françoise Mouly. more ›

• Ft. Hood hero story being questioned.
• Balloon boy's parents to plead guilty, duh.
• Bomb-sniffing dog in Afghanistan returns after being missing for 14 months.

Bonnie Rue is the type of gal you wanted to be BFF's with at summer camp. The one who snuck copies of Sassy into chapel, the one with a forearm covered in lanyards and friendship bracelets, the one making zines out of photos and Xeroxed leaves. In short, Bonnie is the type of gal who would one day grow up and create Model Citizen, a line of T-shirts, dresses, hoodies, yoga wear, jewelry and accessories emblazoned with funky, punky iconography. Think screaming tigers, pink guns, gooey cupcakes, vintage sewing machines - basically, where the lethal and the domestic intersect. Bonnie's opening her home and studio, located at 1304 East Cesar Chavez Suite A (#17 on the EAST map), for the East Austin Studio Tour. Visitors will be able to scope out her wares and even do some early holiday shopping. more ›

• The BBC's coverage of Obama’s memorial address at Fort Hood on Tuesday. (This story is part of the BBC's extensive coverage of the tragedy.)
• Need a kidney? Make sure you tell your priest about your needs! It worked for this Dallas woman.


• Prison inmates found a stash of weed hidden in a delivery of prison-bound produce. This was after the fruit had already been searched by police officers/pot-sniffing dogs!

Interactivity comes at a price, and in Lonestar, Texas: A Popcorn Throwing Rock Country Musical, that price is pretty steep: In the pursuit of engaging the audience by having the three Sexy Cowgirls flirt with them, the Narrator speak directly to them, and the villain be so vile as to encourage popcorn-throwing, Lonestar spends almost no time actually telling its story. more ›

The number nerds at Miller-McCune recently took a stab at crunching all the aggregated film data on Metacritic.com. The result is a series of charts illustrating how movie stars tend to rate with the critics, and, in turn, which of the nation's top 25 most prolific reviewers tend to be more or less favorable when it comes to doling out scores. more ›

LifeSize Communications, a Austin company that makes communications equipment for high-definition video, is on the verge of being bought by device maker Logitech for $405 million. more ›

Luckily Karr has succeeded in making Lit just as readable for a secular audience as her previous volumes. In an interview with Terry Gross, Karr herself compares her earliest drafts as a recent convert to the rhetoric of late-night televangelists—an interesting comparison considering how readily she admits to doing it all for the money. But through great care and diligent editing, the final product is thankfully more Anne Lamott than Joel Osteen. more ›

Yes, someone dumped a friend's ashes on the stage after Danzig performed. more ›

Like so many young creatives, Abi Daniel is living out one form of the Austin dream - you move to Austin "temporarily" because you heard it was hip and you love the sunshine then get sucked in by the city's charm and pretty soon, you find yourself with a home, a life, and even a job you can't really complain about. An illustrator who works across many mediums, Daniel was able to land a position as an artist for one of Austin's many game companies. When she's not drawing space machines for a paycheck, Daniel creates refined portraits, often of animals, using watercolor and pyrography. For this year's East Austin Studio Tour, Daniel will be setting up a temporary workspace and gallery show inside screen printing studio extraordinaire, Bearded Lady (located at 3504 E. 4th St.). Abi Daniel talked to us recently about her own messy studio, her "really good nightmares", and what it's like to be a creative in the game industry. more ›

• Congress Avenue to be closed until noon for Veteran's Day parade
• DC sniper John Allen Muhammad executed by lethal injection
• Obama honors victims of Fort Hood shooting spree at memorial service

It’s a fantastic thing to see the band at what might be their second peak - each onstage member of Mission of Burma seemed utterly devoted to the performance, and we can only assume the same for tape manipulator Bob Weston, apparently hidden away in the sound booth. more ›

Although no single location can embody the whole spirit of East Austin Studio Tour, Fisterra Studio comes pretty darn close. The 102-year old home and studio has been a stop on EAST since the first tour in 2003 and devoted art aficionados have flocked to the house year after year to see what homeowner and artist Jennifer Chenoweth has done with the place. The fully remolded home has the feel of a well curated gallery - from the sculpture in the garden to large canvases in the halls and a kid's bedroom that is to die for. Out back, among pets and plants, is Chenoweth's studio where she carefully creates colorful abstract paintings and sculptures. Fisterra Studio, located at 1200 E. 2nd St., will once again open its doors to East Austin Studio Tour participants this weekend and next from 10am to 5pm each Saturday and Sunday. more ›

Above is a live stream of the Fort Hood memorial service currently underway, via the Pentagon. If you have trouble pulling that up, we've also posted an audio-only live feed via the White House, after the jump. KXAN and KVUE also have streams on their sites.
more ›

Sound is in love with Regina Spektor. There’s nothing it won’t let her do. She’s made her mouth into a synthesizer, morphed her lips into a kazoo-trumpet hybrid, made heartbeats and drumsticks their own instruments, rocked hard with an unamped electric guitar, and put a piano bridge in the middle of a punk song. At first, you might not recognize that adventurous spirit on Spektor’s most recent album, Far. Listen again. more ›

This year's Fun Fest was a huge success. We were just as happy to spend Sunday in the mud as we were to indulge in Saturday's spring-like sunshine. Between 90 bands, four stages and thousands of music lovers, Fun Fest proved itself to be one of the most important Austin events of the year. Each year's festival has enjoyed sizable growth without losing the intimate feel its become known for; and the good-natured volunteers, bartenders, security folks and box office staff all make that possible -- even remarkable. Oh yeah - there were nearly 100 bands, comedians and DJs to watch this year, and they all seemed to feed off the audience's palpable devotion, offering 100% one each stage all weekend long, regardless of weather. We can't wait for next year, when we'll undoubtedly see Transmission Entertainment and everyone involved in the fest proving themselves worthy of one more ladder step. Thanks to all of you who worked with us in the media lounge and box office over the weekend - we look forward to seeing you again next year! more ›

On Wednesday, the Austin chapter of the American Institute of Architects will be hosting the screening of a film that celebrates a motley crew of unconventional, untrained architects and builders. Filmmaker Zachary Godshall's documentary, God's Architects, chronicles five builders who have created (and in many cases, are still building) impressive structures all in the name of their Creator. Their monuments include two hand-built castles, an old school bus converted into an ornate chapel, a sculpture garden, and a sprawling adobe mountain built out of the desert. Each builder has his own story and motivation for creating his version of God's temple - some of the rational is hard to fully understand, but each creation is magical and truly impressive. Even us non-believers would consider ourselves lucky to be so inspired and dedicated to a project. more ›

• This is the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the event that signaled the end of the Cold War. The “Wall of Change” project at UT marks this historic moment.
• President Obama to attend a memorial service at Fort Hood on Tuesday.
• The New York Times has a detailed story about the background of the Fort Hood shooter. It’s part of their larger package on the tragedy.

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

Charged with the bittersweet task of christening the orange stage at Fun Fun Fun Fest, The Laughing - whom many still remember as a band with a fetish/fondness for plush toys and neon - did their best to disabuse audiences of that recollection, playing up beat-based compositions lacking in either face paint or saxophone. The band is sharper this metamorphosis around, with a heavy emphasis on drums. more ›

Thanks to everyone who came out Friday night for Local Music Is Sexy. We had a wonderful time. All the bands were amazing, and we can't wait to see you again next time. Austin Kleon was on hand drawing the party from his viewpoint on the balcony, view the rest of his images here. more ›

In addition to great weather, Thanksgiving, and Fun Fun Fun Fest, November in Austin has also come to mean that it’s time for the East Austin Studio Tour. A groundswell of East Austin’s creative culture, this annual event has typically been held over one weekend, right before Turkey Day. But, this year EAST will take place over a span of nine days (November 14th through November 22nd) and include two weekends! more ›

We're pleased to have been chosen to present "Freelance Isn't Free: The Twisted Economics of Writing Today" as part of the 2010 South by Southwest Interactive Festival. more ›

Despite its confoundingly inquisitive band name and general unclassifiability, the Bay Area/Cincinnati hip hop/indie act Why? has built quite the niche for themselves, satisfying those with a love for rhyme and meticulous, tightly-wound musicianship. Toss in a lyric sheet of ear-catching revelations regarding the human psyche's underbelly so disarmingly honest they'd make even your most offensive friends blush, and what you have is a cocktail for one of today's most intriguing and singular outfits. Still riding high off the breakthrough that was last year's Alopecia, Why? is now supporting its latest release, the well-received Eskimo Snow. Out of respect for this, and for the band's performance at Fun Fun Fun Fest this afternoon, we hooked up for a phone call with Why? frontman and wordsmith Yoni Wolf to talk about persona, mowing lawns, and the Bible's breeziest book. more ›

The delightful band of misfits known as the Minor Mishap Marching Band, who "sound like riding a bicycle and playing a trombone the morning after the Russian circus has blown through town," kicked off our annual Fun Fest pre-party, Local Music is Sexy 8. [apologies for the grainy footage] more ›

Clint Conley works hard as a television producer in Boston, and plays hard at the bass in Mission of Burma. I spoke with him on Monday toward the end of his workday. Can you believe that he doesn't own his bass amp, and that his bandmate Roger Miller doesn't own any guitars? more ›

There's a dunking booth at Fun Fun Fun Fest to promote the film Splinterheads—tickets raised go towards a local children's charity. One person on Saturday, as shown above, couldn't quite hit the target—so she opted for a more direct approach. more ›

I talked with Fun Fun Fun Fest organizer Graham Williams on Friday afternoon at his homey office on Neches Street. We discussed the effect of outdoor stages on comedians, festival dos and don'ts, and the mechanical bulls of Tijuana, although I edited that part out. more ›