If the J. Tillman show outside isn't enough to lure you to The Mohawk on this post-Thanksgiving eve, here's two more reasons: the debut performance by Brackett & Co., and a chance to catch hot upstarts Real Estate. more ›

If you're into introspective folk music written by mountain men with thick bears, it may have been a rough year for you. more ›

Lance Armstrong and his crew at Mellow Johnny’s bicycle shop are doubtlessly pissed after someone stole a $10,000 triathlon bike being housed in the store last weekend. more ›

Raise your hand if you've ever enjoyed a Mojito, a Mai Tai, a Dacquiri or a warm cup of egg nog (real egg nog, folks). Did you know you have Columbus, in large part, to thank for those rum-spiked libations? In typical Euro-enterprising fashion, Columbus brought sugar cane cuttings to the Caribbean islands on his second major voyage. The tropical climate agreed with the crop, and shortly after, a sugar cane industry was born: hooray, sugar! more ›

After enjoying Thanksgiving leftovers galore on Friday, it’s quite normal to wallow in the turkey induced comatose or hit the hay early. Not this year. Instead, muster up all your energy and head down to Beerland where local trio Woven Bones will undoubtedly revive, replenish, and then hypnotize with thunderous jolts of reverb soaked garage-rock. The band departs on a West Coast tour in December so this may be your last chance to catch ‘em in town this year. We touched base with vocalist and guitarist Andrew Burr earlier this week and learnt that the three current band members actually relocated to Austin from three different states. Naturally, we delved deeper to enquire about the band’s origins, and sought Burr’s thoughts on the recent vinyl revival as well as living in the “Live Music Capital of the World.” more ›

Each week, we'll look at some reasons to taunt, belittle, and bully the Longhorns' football opponent. This week: the Texas A&M Aggies. more ›

• Toyota recalls nearly 4 million cars because of gas pedals that can get stuck in the floor mats
• More than 2 million Stork Craft cribs - some with the Fisher-Price logo - have been recalled
• The number of jobless claims sinks to its lowest level in more than a year

If you're considering options on the more upscale end, OpenTable currently shows at least 16 local restaurants with availability for parties of 2 at 7 p.m. [OpenTable Search] more ›

Case is fond of mythology. She weaves it throughout her work, whose imagery expands beyond the borders of any particular album to form connective tissue between them. Middle Cyclone expands and refracts the ideas introduced on 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. This sort of continuity from one release to the next creates the kind of body of work that makes lifelong fans of many listeners. In many ways, Austin is a natural setting for Case's soulful, skewed-off-the-beaten-country-path vocal work. Her penetrating voice cuts a swath straight through the twangy guitars that any natural disaster would be proud of. Motley indie Austin four-piece Oh No Oh My kicks off the aural downpour at Antone's tonight. more ›

The Pecan Street Project has been awarded $10.4 million in federal grant money to build a "smart-grid" community at the Mueller development in Northeast Austin. The grant money was part of $184.5 million in federal clean-energy stimulus programs announced today by U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Pecan Street is a partnership between the city and high-tech companies to develop clean-energy solutions, such as advanced electric meters on homes and business and electric-car recharging stations. More details to come at a press conference this afternoon. [Statesman Business Blog] more ›

Cultivating your personal project within Austin’s fertile music scene can often be a trying task. This MySpace age offers every band a path to limitless exposure, for better or for worse, so it’s not uncommon for your baby to get buried under the avalanche of artists tirelessly peddling their wares. But you want more for your pride and joy. You diligently nurtured it all the way from the time it was just a seed in your head and now you’re ready for others to take note. more ›

Jay David Carbullido, a 17-year-old senior at Austin High, was involved in a heated exchanged with a female student on Stephen F. Austin Drive when the other teen decided to leave. As the car carrying the girl pulled away, Carbullido fetched a .22-caliber rifle from his trunk and shot at the car, striking it four times and breaking one of the windows. No one was hurt. more ›

Highlights include Yellow Fever, Harlem, We Are Scientists, Solid Gold, Soulico, San Saba County, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Riverboat Gamblers, Plants and Animals, Princeton, Pink Nasty, Pivot, Monarchs, The Middle East, Japandroids, Headdress, Colin Gilmore, Frightened Rabbit, Fanfarlo, Deer Tick, Dappled Cities, Contra Coup, Best Fwends, Ólöf Arnalds, Arms, A Shoreline Dream, Alpha Rev and more (follow the jump). [SXSW 2010] more ›

Community Impact reports that the local IRS office, as well as its affiliated Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC), was affected in a fire in the adjacent office last Friday. The office, at 825 East Rundberg, will be closed at least until early December. [ImpactNews] more ›

We're still coming down from our East Austin Studio Tour high - with four days of visiting studios and a week full of happenings and performances, this was undoubtedly our favorite EAST to date. As always, we were struck by the sheer number of artists and creatives working out of the East Side and were blown away by the diversity of the work. In a few short days we were able to model hand crafted hats, letterpress our own cards, screenprint a tee-shirt, see work by some amazing artists, buy locally handmade gifts, and generally feel inspired and proud to be surrounded by a community that values creativity. As artist Stephanie Nance encouraged in her blog, "don't let the East Side of I-35 scare you! It's full of wonderful art, culture, and diversity and it's waiting for you... get your bikes or good waking shoes out and be a tourist!" We're sure glad we did. more ›

• If you thought you saw a Viking Boat on the street on Saturday, it wasn’t your imagination. It was on the way to be part of the East Austin Studio Tour!
• The Blue October show at Stubb's on Friday was kind of a big deal. People even flew in from out-of-town to see the band play.
• The Austin Film Society's current film series features the work of a modern Finnish filmmaker. Watching some of the films might make you very glad that you don’t live in Finland!

The Dallas Morning News reports that Democrat Tom Schieffer is pulling out of the gubernatorial race, and plans to formally announce his withdrawal this afternoon. more ›

Last week around the Gothamist network. more ›