Arts & Entertainment

Guitarist for The Golden Boys, writer, illustrator, all-purpose Renaissance dude...between these lofty pursuits and the more menial tasks of working two jobs to pay rent, John Wesley Coleman manages to keep a lot of balls in the air. In partnership with local start-up Monofonus Press, he's releasing a poetry collections/CD compilation under the title American Trashcan. more ›

There was the unexpected acoustic Decemberists set. Then there was the sudden Spoon gig. This Sunday, The Mohawk revives this exciting tradition with a surprise show featuring Bill Callahan. Callahan first came into prominence under the Smog moniker; his collection of work from previous decades has stood the test of time while 2005's A River Ain't Too Much to Love is quite simply a masterpiece. In April of last year, Drag City released Woke on a Whaleheart; you can read our review here. more ›

The Harry Ransom Center is not exactly known for its parties. No beverages, pens, or even white paper are allowed in their reading room. We have to give them credit for this event, however, It's unorthodox, it's ambitious, it has just the right alchemy between '50's-era jazzbo "hipsters" and the modern-day sort, and it might end up being the most amazing literary event in Austin this year. more ›

Have there seriously been thirty of these things? You’re goddamned right there have been. From the days of way-back in smaller venues when Mel and his 80s jams held court with smaller, more intimate crowds, where the records made people say “Careless Whisper? Man, that’s my song right there. Totally got that twelve inch back at the crib. Let’s go to Hoek’s for some pizza and fear.” Nowadays the party’s (past dozen or so) all grow’d up and far drunker. Just like us! more ›

Of all the Godspeed! You Black Emperor side projects, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band -- which, heretofore, we will call ASMZ, based on their band name's first incarnation -- has attracted the most significant following of all the 'spin-off' bands laboring in the absence of GYBE output. more ›

Mark our words: Rotozaza's Etiquette, coming in April for Fuse Box, will sell out. // Hyde Park Theatre is holding auditions this Saturday. // Out of Bounds '08 is now taking submissions. // Troades at the Vortex is held over for two more weeks. more ›

Cry Blood Apache drops its latest output in the form of Northern Travelers (on Ghetto Pagoda Records) this Tuesday. The EP will be available starting April 1st at Waterloo Records and End of An Ear, and also online at listen.to/crybloodapache. CBA formed in 2005; currently the trio consists of Jason Chrien, Ben Ellis (or “Kaspar Glass”), and Mitch Hinrichs (or “Hans Hinrich.”) So what exactly are the band's influences? According to bassist Chrien, “The three of us take stylistic cues from old-school reality television shows like Real TV and Max X. The low-fidelity presentation of those programs makes it clear the power immediacy has in art, regardless of medium. We apply a 'hand-held' aesthetic to our music in tribute.” CBA's most interesting discography includes an Untitled CD Demo (2005) and a Self-Titled Cassette EP (2005) along with the Performing Diversion Acrobatics LP from 2006 and the Industry MixTape Vol. 1 EP from last year. CBA’s latest 4 song effort was recorded in January of this year, clocks in at just over ten minutes, and was produced by Chrien. more ›

In an interview with Fresh Air's David Bianculli, Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler confirmed that a third season of the Austin-filmed show is on. more ›

“America’s Funnyman” Neil Hamburger brings his offbeat comedic ramblings to Emo’s (Inside) this Friday. Drag City will release the cult figure’s latest album Neil Hamburger Sings Country Winners on April 21st; you can preview new material here. Dave Gleason, Rachel Haden, and Joe Goldmark are just a few of the musicians that aid Hamburger’s country cause on the record. more ›

Here's a litmus test for whether you'll be into The Hold Steady: allegedly the band was conceived during a late-night viewing of the classic concert film about The Band, The Last Waltz, during which singer Craig Finn turned to guitarist Tad Kubler and said, "Dude, why aren't there any bands like this anymore?" Just picture his misty eyes and tell me you have no room in your heart for this man. The Steady's third album, Boys And Girls In America, earned them comparisons to both Pulp and Bruce Springsteen, and oddly enough both make sense: this unlikely-looking group of post-delinquent Brooklynites (via Minnesota) are able to summon chugging golden-age-of-rock riffs, mega-anthemic choruses, and kitchen-sink-epic lyrics about hard-luck characters and the dreams they've run into the ground, seemingly at the drop of a hat. more ›

Austinist Indieroke is back in action tonight. Come on down to The Mohawk and sing away your hump day blues. We are expecting some of our regulars to do wonderful renditions of songs ranging from "Young Folk" by Peter Bjorn & John to "Easy" by The Commodores, and from "Creep" by Radiohead to "Material Girl" by Madonna. But we definitely want to see some new blood in the mix. Will it be you who takes a stab at "Never Ending Math Equation" (Modest Mouse) or "All The Wine" (The National)? Or maybe you're just so excited about this breaking news that there's a performance of "Open Arms", "Never", or "Dream Police" lurking within you, waiting to be unleashed. more ›

It’s always a nice surprise when a band’s MySpace doesn’t describe them accurately or obviously. When you click on the link and the page opens to reveal a designation like ‘rock’, ‘alternative’ or the oh so typical ‘indie’, a little part of you dies. But, when that left-click unravels a host of curious, unorthodox genres like ‘melodramatic popular song’, ‘Spanish pop’ and ‘tropical’ a new hope stirs within you. But, that’s not Gulf of Mexico’s most powerful weapon. more ›

This Tuesday, it’s won’t be business as usual for a quartet of local bands looking to escape the drudgery of the bar/venue scene. Mo Pair, Some Say Leland, The Blue Hit and Infinite Partials are planning what will be the seventh in a series of “secret shows” that take place all over Austin in diverse locals like sewers, next to old Cottonwood trees, and now, on an island on Ladybird Lake. more ›

Beaufort, an Academy Award nominated narrative, follows the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon, 18 years after the occupation began. As opposed to rooting out terrorists and massively destructive (and non-existent) weapons, the Israelis had come to Lebanon in 1982 to secure their purported birthright—the land of their forefathers, or, the Abraham side of the coin—and did so by bombing the hell out of Beirut and anything else they could hit, forcing their mortal enemies, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, to retreat. Granted, Lebanon was not necessarily the land of Abraham, but since the PLO was camped out and had attempted to assassinate the Israeli ambassador to the UK, we suppose Israel figured that whatever place Palestinians chose to inhabit was fair game for bloodshed. Clearly, we are oversimplifying this and depending on which side of the strip you stand on, the view may be very different. more ›

Many were wowed by the fractured-yet-pleasant pop melodies of Field Music, but with the disintegration of that band, its lead figure, David Brewis, needed a new way to spin his musical sensibilities. And this is where School of Language comes in, a driven and focused effort that features all the polish and shine of Field Music without the bubbling conflict that sent that group on an ominous "indefinite hiatus." The result of Brewis being allowed to explore on his own is the album Sea from Shore, a collection of murky sun-pop songs with a thin experimental edge. Nice to listen to and not particularly demanding, this is music that seems ready-made for a light-hearted good time concert, one that is particularly well-suited for the laid-back attitude of the Mohawk. more ›

Bill Baird’s most ambitious work since the demise of his former project Sound Team, Bright Blue Dream seems at first like it's Baird’s way of putting that book back on the shelf for good – but that’s only half of the story. more ›

Brain-teasing intellectual weirdos all, the quartet we call Singer has taken it upon themselves to dispel the rumors that independent music was doomed to cough up its predecessors. The band (composed of some ex-U.S. Maple folks) summons all the greats of obtuse, atonal and jazz-influenced punk rockers: the machinations of subtly Albini-ish guitars grind against Karate'd strums and twinkles, the relentless kick drum bellows out for Slint while the cymbal work (while minimal) and snare-tom exchanges flirt with pure jazz. Robt A.A. Lowe's vocals flatly ignore convention, cooing in high registers like a bratty young Craig Wedren. more ›

Tonight, the Alamo Ritz will be holding a free screening of the award winning documentary For the Bible Tells Me So, a film that digs into the basis of this hate filled view and how five God fearing families reconcile their faith with the realization that one of their members is gay. Featuring the families of former House Majority leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, we will be led through a conversation of healing, offering clarity and understanding to a topic that is seldom spoken about sans fire and brimstone. more ›

SXSW provided ample opportunities for all of us to indulge in mass quantities of live music and overwhelming amounts of events but really, what are we left with now? Besides the rumors, archived concerts, and what not, hopefully each one of us can look back now to realize we found fresh inspiration from some form of art or discovered a new idol whose work will get us through our daily rat race. more ›

The exhibit traces a two-and-a-half-year collaboration among three Texas-based artists: Trenton Doyle Hancock of Houston and Austinites Graham Reynolds and Stephen Mills. Cult of Color: Call to Color is a chapter in Hancock’s ongoing artistic mythology, which incorporates stories about imaginative creatures like the Mounds and the Vegans. On display will be Hancock’s colorful paintings, notes, and sketches that inspired the design and concept of the ballet, as well as artwork that inspired the backdrop curtains, stage props, and costumes. more ›

Music Mondays at the Drafthouse is traveling to weird intergalactic territories with this week’s offering Space is the Place starring jazz great Sun Ra. more ›

SXSW is done and dusted and we had a blast. But normal service is resumed this weekend in Austin with a number of appealing shows. Melodies and (so-called) punk go hand in hand these days in mainstream America, with Warped Tour fervor influencing one new generation of mall-punks after another. Bob Mould shaped at least a segment of the sound of pop-punk to come during his Hüsker Dü and Sugar days, and has churned out a versatile solo career as well. His performance at the 2005 Austin City Limits Music Festival was epic and you can witness the magic first-hand, up-close this Thursday when the Bob Mould Band takes centre-stage at Antone’s. Mould’s new record, District Line can be purchased here. more ›

The week after SXSW is tough. Everyone is behind on their work and buried in email and errands, all of the out-of-town visitors have headed back to cold climes, and nobody has it in them to head out for a show just yet. To combat the post-SX gloom, we've compiled a list of major concerts coming to Austin in the next 90 days. This is by no means comprehensive (check Showlist Austin for that), but merely a warning about great upcoming events that will likely sell out - indeed, two already have. So peruse the list, hit the appropriate ticket outlet (or Craigslist for Feist or The Cure), and get ready to continue to rock. more ›

Describing the music this Philly fivesome spew and spurt forth is a tricky task, but here’s one interpretation. They’re kind of like if a giant ran through a major city and gobbled up Tom Waits circa Swordfishtrombones, a 50s-era jazz singer, a gypsy musical troupe and a circus of experimental sounds. Man Man would be the sound his stomach made as it rumbled and groaned with a dangerously volatile case of indigestion. Their sets during South by were wildly entertaining with all members bouncing around the stage in white t-shirts, shorts and face paint banging on just about anything they could. more ›

Amy Hempel is a sort of hero for short story writers. While everyone else seems to eventually leave the form to take a crack at the Great American Novel, Hempel has spent thirty years moving in the opposite direction, into shorter and shorter stories. Possibly more than any other American writer, she can claim to be the creator of the "short short" form. It's still hard to argue that anyone does it better. She walks the line between fanciful irony and soft-hearted sentimentalism with a natural balance that would make David Berman jealous. more ›

Music is seen as a man's world. Whether it's heavy metal, mainstream rap music or today's MTV pop, today's entertainment industry is often accused of being fueled by testosterone and sexism. This leaves little room for women in the industry to create and be heard, let alone be taken seriously in a society that seems to favor male musicians over female musicians. more ›

We just woke up from a heavy post-SXSW slumber, and thought we'd share some of our personal highlights from this year's SXSW Film Festival, along with a tidy roundup of our interview and preview coverage (and we've still got a couple interviews in the queue, so keep an eye out for even more!) more ›

The first piece, Port Arthur, written and directed by HPT artistic director Ken Webster, is a lovely, Texas-style cross between Sartre and Kids in the Hall, where a very small cast (two) in a very tight setting (bus seat), play out a very ancient theme (sort of David vs. Goliath). Larius Likler, the second piece, is slightly longer than Port Arthur, with a really strong cast of four. Seventeen year-old Austin High student Kayla Newman is an über-standout as Beluga aka Condom, the youngest of three children including her brother, who aspires to be a serial killer, and her reluctantly pregnant, wisecracking sister. Their runaway mom checks in via voice mail while dad has a hard time keeping things together. more ›

Another SXSW has come and gone in a mind-addled, Sparks-fueled hurry, and just like every other virtual self-professed music lover, Austinist is taking a moment to reflect. You'll no doubt get your fill of commentary on the business of SXSW, the delicate balance between branding and community, our city's perceptions about the music industry and its impact on them as music lovers elsewhere. There are no doubt oodles of performance reviews as well (follow this post's jump for a handful of those), but the most impressive (and arguably vexing) facet of this year's SXSW for me was the always astounding dedication of the musicians who make it down here each year. more ›

The whirlwind that is SXSW has come and gone. Weeks and weeks of preparation and planning were funneled into an overflowing, often overwhelmed city of Austin for just a few magical days and nights. Now as the sense of normalcy returns, we’re left with wonderful memories, cramping legs, and a hoarse voice. In anticipation of being greeted with a plethora of “Who did you like best?” queries, here’s a shortlist of great events, thrilling performances, and moments that took our breath away. more ›

Initiated in 1996 by guitarist Makoto Kawabata, the Japanese psych-rock collective Acid Mothers Temple is a loose collective composed of four core members and a revolving door of like-minded musicians and vocalists. Both remarkably prolific (they have released over a dozen records/singles/live recordings since 2007 alone) and esoteric (they have occasionally been mistaken for a religious cult), A.M.T. traffic in a brand of hard psychedelia as indebted to their acid-fried countrymen Boredoms as to Cream or Pink Floyd and are widely considered to be the international psych-rock group. Swirling outer-space noises and oceanic reverb will factor heavily, so plan on having your third eye squeegee-ed. more ›

To be honest, of the narrative features premiering at SXSW shot by Texas based filmmakers, the two that we were immediately drawn to were Bob Byington's RSO [Registered Sex Offender] and Alex Karpovsky's Woodpecker. The first initially drew us in because we have a morbid fascination with all things criminal, especially criminal acts that traditionally allow for no possibility of redemption and the later because of the duality of a film that injects a non-fictional situation with fictional characters. Serendipitously, we recently had the chance to sit down with both Byington and Karpovsky at the same, and during a very circuitous conversation we got the chance to discuss film festival groupies, Olive Garden movie goers, fanatical birdwatchers and well, registered sex offenders. more ›

While not always the case, most documentary filmmakers, as invested as they may become in their subjects, try to maintain a journalistic distance. We can assume that isn’t the case for The Pied Piper of Hutzovina, a film by Pavla Fleishcer about Gogol Bordello lead singer Eugene Hutz. In fact, the impetus for making the film was largely due to the fact that Fleischer fell in love with Hutz, and it charts a 2004 visit to Eastern Europe they made together. Hutz, a New Yorker who can chart his Gypsy lineage to his grandmother, travels across the Ukraine to share his music with family, friends, and strangers, and to rediscover his roots. more ›

One Minute to Nine is the story of a family crushed in the tyrannical grip of an abusive patriarch, and what happens when the saying "enough is enough" is a monumental understatement. Director Tommy Davis met the Maldonado family a couple of days before Wendy, the mother of four boys, was to be incarcerated on the charge of murder. Using hand shot chronicles and aging home videos, Davis pieces together the last moments of freedom for a family who has already lead a long life of imprisonment. We had the chance recently to pick Davis' brain about courage, exploitation and a little bit of old fashioned luck. more ›

Every Wednesday on Austinist we feature one of our multitude of ridiculously talented writers, writing written things for your eyes to consume. The opinions expressed by the writer are strictly their own, and are not necessarily shared by the Ist Network or any of its affiliates. For this week, meet: Anna Hanks. Enjoy! -- Columnist Editor more ›

King of the Hill showed its Austin ties on Sunday's recent episode, titled "Lady and Gentrification." Certainly gentrification is not an Austin-centric issue, but it is a current hot topic in our city, and it is hard to watch this episode and not see the parallels to what is happening in East Austin. True, the issue is a bit oversimplified in the 30-minute episode. more ›

Upright Citizens Brigade founders Matt Walsh, Matt Besser and Ian Roberts perform tonight (United States Art Authority) and tomorrow (ColdTowne Theater). Tickets online. // At the SXSW South Tent tomorrow, the Bowery Poetry Club and others perform, from 11:30-3pm. Wammo emcees! Full schedule after the jump. more ›

Austinist & Gothamist's day party is today, at the Mohawk (912 Red River). The party kicks off around 11 a.m., and the day ends at 6, but not before Shout Out Louds, Shearwater, Liam Finn and Phosphorescent perform. more ›

Heavy Metal in Baghdad has amassed a considerable amount of buzz in the run-up to its US debut at SXSW tonight. The film follows Acrassicauda, the only heavy metal band in Baghdad, from the fall of Saddam Hussein in late 2003 through December 2006. We spoke with Suroosh Alvi, one of Heavy Metal’s directors, about his experience shooting the film in Iraq. more ›

Simian Mobile Disco are no strangers to SXSW. The duo were one of the highlights of the electronic music at SXSW '07, and they've returned for four shows at this year's event. James Ford and Jas Shaw are still touring behind 2007's Attack Decay Sustain Release, which has lit up dance floors worldwide with cuts like "I Believe" and "It's The Beat." The band are currently working on material for their second album, so one can hope that a few new tracks may turn up in these live performances. Ford is also working as an in-demand producer for acts like Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons, thus is a busy man indeed. more ›

So my original guarantee - that every big rapper in the state would come to SXSW again - kind of didn’t pan out, though our city’s finest will be out in force (more on that later). Still, sans Lil’ Keke, Matt Sonzala’s rap line-up for the official events is particularly strong, bolstered by a handful of legends and all sorts of regional stars. Here are my picks from the official showcases in no particular order (except that Bun is first): Bun B (Houston) Mike Jones will be telling his great grandkids about Bun’s first Houston show after Pimp C’s death. Bun will pay tribute again tonight at Fuze (or, to be more exact, early morning on Thursday). You’re probably already planning on going. more ›

The wait for SXSW Music is almost over but the information overload will persist for another few days! Our writers combed through stacks of emails, tons of event listings, and pages and pages of our beloved "Party Flyers" slideshow to come up with a list of recommended happenings. more ›

It has been almost eight years since the last episode of the Upright Citizens Brigade aired on Comedy Central. But beginning well before the series took to television—from its roots as an improv and sketch comedy troupe in Chicago to the opening of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatres in New York City and Los Angeles—the Upright Citizens Brigade has been in the process of constructing a comedy empire. more ›

After whittling down the list of finalists from among hundreds of international submissions by innovative designers and developers, SXSW Interactive announced their web award winners on Sunday night during the annual ceremony at the Hilton. In its 11th year, the event was hosted by funny man Eugene Mirman (Austinist Interview). The websites are groundbreaking and gorgeous, so if you have some free time (off the clock, of course), take a look: more ›

The Long Center opened this past weekend for perusal by the general public. We’re happy to report that the new/old building has a sleek modern aesthetic that nicely alludes to the center’s mid-century past. That's not surprising, as lots of parts from the original structure of Palmer Auditorium were recycled and re-imagined into the new, two-venue, $77 million-dollar space. more ›

Phosphorescent, the woodsy and brutally honest project of Brooklyn-by-way-of-Athens-and-Alabama musician Matthew Houck, used the strength of last year's Pride to firmly establish itself as an act to be reckoned with. Combining haunting natural effects and skillful understatement, the album presents an intentionally rough-around-the-edges sound that has drawn complimentary comparisons to everyone from Dylan to Oldham. In advance of Phosphorescent's three SXSW shows, including the Austinist/Gothamist get together on Wednesday, Matthew Houck spoke to us while snowed-in in New York. more ›

Much of the buzz leading up to this year's SXSW Interactive Keynote revolved not around Mark Zuckerberg, this year's guest and founder of Facebook, but around his tendency to give awkward and empty interviews. more ›

One of Polyvinyl's more interesting, seasoned acts, Aloha, is coming in during South by week to play the Polyvinyl/Team Love show on Friday the 14th and and the Mess With Texas 2 event at Waterloo Park on Saturday. The experimental indie rock quartet is touring on the heels of a recent EP, Light Works, and in advance of an upcoming LP. They had a second and so did we, so we all sat down at our computers and conducted the following interview full of talk about varied instrumentation, the lives of gypsies and becoming rowdier with age. more ›

ON Network's Greenlight Awards seek "the next best, original Digital TV Series." You can watch the pilots, all of which are potentially addictive, online. The contest is not only for a complete production, but also for Best Original Digital Series Idea. >. Winners in both categories will be announced at the SXSW Film Awards, tonight at the Convention Center at 6pm. more ›

This isn't your typical high school student council race—it is a full fledged election with primaries and running mates, televised debates and newspaper endorsements. The candidates must take such things into consideration as "Can a ticket without Asian representation win?", "What is the best way to market our platform?", and "Will I have to quit the theater council if I am elected?" These kids take themselves incredibly seriously and fight for their right to rule until the final ballot is cast. more ›

Aziz Ansari gets SXSW. While you know him best for his role on MTV sketch comedy show Human Giant (which also features Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer), Ansari is also a music nerd. He has a blog, writes comedy bits about music, and can't help but mock the indie scene we all partake in. For those less familiar with Ansari, here's a quick primer: "Shittiest Mixtape Boombox Blast", "Clell Tickle: Marketing Guru", "Indie Ad Exec", "Other Music" more ›

In this follow up to his moving documentary Mojados: Through the Night, which won the Audience Award at SXSW 2004, Director Tommy Davis pieces together the puzzle of what happens when, after 18 years, one woman reaches the summit of suffering and finally summons the courage to deal with her husband in the only way that she knows how. more ›

SXSW Music kicks off on Wednesday the 12th, as always with the Annual Austin Music Awards at Austin Music Hall, but it has become clear over the last few years that the music really starts the night before. Just thinking back to last year, we remember walking up and down Red River, watching bands like Golden Bear, White Denim and Broken Teeth at venues such as Beauty Bar, Emo’s and Red 7, and congratulating ourselves for getting started early. more ›

Call ‘em Cowpunk. Call ‘em alt. country. Call ‘em country-ish indie rock. But, whatever tag you affix on Memphis rockers Lucero know that there will come a time at least once in your life when their gritty, twangy, whiskey-soaked tunes of hard livin’ fit snugly like a wooden peg. And maybe, that time is during South by week. more ›

Last year, we outlined all the Japanse bands coming to SXSW, and this year we're really excited about Norway. We are happy to report that Oslo-based jazz-metal group Shining are on their way, as well as Ungdomskulen and Hanne Hukkelberg. more ›

What Made Milwaukee Famous played at Emo's on Friday night to celebrate their CD release. Black Before Red, Loxsly and Lemurs opened the show. more ›

Cook County, premiering at SXSW this week and showing at 4 PM Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at Alamo South Lamar, is about two generations of a rural family dealing with their collective addiction to crystal meth. more ›

We can't stress enough how great B-Side is. And besides being a handy planning tool, it's also a go-to spot for festival buzz and audience feedback. If you're not quite sure about a particular title, you can check out the ratings and reviews before you commit to it. Word? Word. more ›

Alex Karpovsky is fascinated with extraordinary birds, regardless of the presence of feathers or bills. Indeed he is so fascinated with them that he set his new film, Woodpecker, in the bosom of birdwatching's newest mecca, Brinkley, Arkansas, amidst throngs of Ivory Billed Woodpecker enthusiasts and the townies who have a love/hate relationship with this group of fanatical treasure hunters and the bird on which they pin all of their hopes and dreams. more ›

Saturday Saturday Saturday! It's a bounty of goodness unlike anything most people of privilege (or non-privilege) have seen, seeming that it is filled not only with SXSW's usual wealth of day-funs and joys and diversities, but that it is also privy to the wonderment that is Mess With Texas 2, a noon-to-ten cornucopia of music and comedy at Waterloo Park. It's sort of like a day of Fun Fun Fun Fest plus comedy minus the price plus the knowledge that there's great stuff going on everywhere else as well. So let's get to it, and all the other great stuff going on EVERYWHERE, shall we? Mess With Texas 2 @ Waterloo Park At this event, it's almost ridiculous what a wide range of musics you'll be able to see, from electro-folk to softcore-punk to anti-pop to alterna-world to whatever-other-hyphenated-genre-you-could-possibly-fabricate. Headlining are the Kim Deal-led Breeders and late-nineties punk-stars NOFX, but they are just icing on the cake of a day that features acts as intriguing as the inimitable Islands and the ever-so-subtle Atlas Sound. And, take a deep breath, because also lining up on one of the three stages is rise-from-the-ashes-via-Juno story Kimya Dawson, the mysteriously-spelled Wooden Shjips, hype-machine Simian Mobile Disco, quick risers Yeasayer, Monotonix, and No Age. And in case you haven't already caught them, this may be a convenient time to check out local respectables Shearwater and White Denim. Seriously, though, that's a ridiculous list already, and it's really just the beginning. And it's free, for God's sake! And there was some comedy at this Mess With Texas thing, too, right? Yeah, you can expect some laughs from the likes of Janeane Garofalo, Brian Posehn, Todd Barry, and Eugene Mirman, among a veritable slew of others. Make sure to get there before the sun goes down if you want to check that out, though, because we all know humor goes best with some sunshine. more ›

Another day, another long list of long list of web-darling music acts and their attendant corporate sponsors. more ›

Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West, now playing at Hyde Park Theatre has nothing to do with Marfa or Alpine, so don't let the title fool you. Set in an Irish village where murder, suicide, and alcoholism are as common as eating and breathing, the play centers on two brothers who spend just about the entire show pissing off each other in increasingly creative ways. Compared to The Pillowman (which played last year at HPT), Lonesome West is almost sitcom light. more ›

Lurking in the near, near future is the album Alopecia, the strange, provocative, and incredibly engaging new album from Why?, a Bay Area band that seems to be ticketed for a whole new bunch of notoriety, right quick. While Why? in the past has often incited listeners to, well, invoke the name of the band--mostly because of scattershot verbosity and music that seemed more pieced-together than refined--they've pulled all their unbridled talent together into a cohesive and coherent, not to mention very good, whole. And, seeming as they're going to be tromping all about Austin's stomping grounds next week for SXSW, we sent out some questions to lead figure and wordsmith Yoni Wolf. You know, just to see what he's all about. more ›

Friday is the one weekday of SXSW when normal people -- who read indie music blogs, naturally -- get off of work and make their way down to Red River St. get a piece of the action. So it’s no surprise that many of those schedule-packed shows will be presented by said blog machines, including Stereogum and the Hot Freaks (a super-hip blog collaboration). more ›

More Wristbands Available Wednesday: At least a few of the coveted SXSW wristbands will be sold via the conventional route this year. The Austin Chronicle reports that 400+ wristbands priced at $165 will be on sale from 9:30am on Wednesday 3/12 at Waterloo Records. These wristbands do not require an local ID, so out-of-towners can finally get their show at wristbands not obtained through nefarious means. They also report that a second batch may be made available next week, so stay tuned for more information. more ›

Following tonight's performance of Troades, the Vortex is hosting a reception in honor of Sean T.C. O’Malley, composer of the show's original score. // Every Wednesday night in March, all seats for Speeding Motorcycle at Zach are $15! // The Heroes of Comedy's Improvised Shakespeare, Saturdays at 8pm at the Hideout, is so popular that they had to extend the run through the end of March. // Mortified is back! more ›

So the time is ripe for the 2008 SXSW Music Festival and what better way to lead into that madness than with a host of quality bands at Emo’s to kick off this weekend. Friday marks the CD Release show for local outfit What Made Milwaukee Famous. Officially released on March 4th, What Doesn’t Kill Us will be available for purchase during the show; the album finds the band maturing into a polished rock act while maintaining their keen ear for pop melodies, their expert arrangements of well-crafted tracks, and their penchant for catchy guitar hooks. Check out the video for “Sultan” off the new album via YouTube here. more ›

Mess With Texas during SXSW last year was a huge hit in the cozy confines of Red 7 and MWT2 promises to be an even bigger bash with a wide variety of musical acts and comedians on tap. Waterloo Park is the host this year and this year’s free, all ages show kicks off at noon on Saturday the 15th. But of course there are so many other day shows, parties, and what not going on in the town that the sponsors (including Forcefield PR, Record Store Day, JetBlue Entertainment, Fuel TV, SuperDeluxe.com, and Garnier Fructis) want to give you V.I.P. treatment if you can write a witty piece of prose. As has been the case with other stellar Waterloo Park shows, local entity Transmission Entertainment has helped organize this brouhaha. more ›

Austin dweller Margaret Brown brings her new documentary, The Order of Myths, to SXSW after a successful showing at Sundance. Brown was born in Mobile, Alabama, where Myths takes place. The film follows Mobilians through one cycle of their Mardi Gras celebrations—a festival which the city is proud to have begun celebrating before New Orleans. Unlike the Big Easy’s do, however, the Mobile Mardi Gras is, effectively, segregated. more ›

In the midst of a kidney-punching divorce and a morale-deflating demotion at work, this eternally disenfranchised man, played by David Zellner, who also wrote and directed Goliath, lives in the malaise of mediocrity. Everything he does is a menial, unrewarding task, even watching porn. He is constantly muffling the words and actions that would pull him out of his droning, joyless life, storing up a pressure cooker of rage, passion and ill-advised tirades that could, and do, blow without warning. His one respite from the daily spirit beat down was the knowledge that a tiny, beating, feline heart needed him. Once that fur ball is no longer leaving deposits in the old catbox, this nameless man goes completely and utterly berserk. more ›

"I was initially drawn to Crawford, because I'd been effectively duped. I didn't know that Bush wasn't from Crawford." more ›

Thursday Flamingo Cantina takes a break from bringing in bands like The Skatalites and Israel Vibration. Instead, for this free day show they will host the shimmering and sentimental, Swedish alt rock of the Shout Out Louds. You’ll also hear the catchy California rock of Rogue Wave and the love song sing-alongs and quirky experiments of Akron/Family. Sub Pop’s Portland drums-and-guitar duo The Helio Sequence come prepared with spacey indie rock prettiness, and Fleet Foxes are set to impress with charming guitars and melodic tones. Expect a thrilling display from Athens’ psych-folk collective Elf Power. more ›

Liam Finn has seen a lot of the world lately, albeit from the stages of pubs, clubs, and arenas. The 24-year-old New Zealander has 126,000 frequent flyer miles at the moment, thanks to a year spent touring both as a guitarist for Crowded House and promoting his new Yep Roc album I'll Be Lightning. The self-produced and performed record finds Finn in a reflective mood, and alternates between indie chamber-pop and much more rocking material. Currently on tour with Pela, Finn will drop in for a handful of SXSW gigs before heading back on the road to open on Eddie Vedder's solo tour. We spoke to Liam Finn this week about Neil Young, loop pedals, and London. We encourage you to attend the Austinist-Gothamist day show on March 12th to see him! more ›

In case you hadn't realized, music poster art and design is a a medium all its own. The creative effort that goes into each print and poster is a labor of love, artists finding new and inventive ways to combine elements from a band's own vision, their own voice, as well as actual information. more ›

It's not official yet, but yesterday evening Nikke Finke reported on her blog that NBC is making a deal with DirecTV to keep airing critically-acclaimed and locally-filmed Friday Night Lights. more ›

The world's just not as much fun as it used to be, what with all the global warming, credit crises, genocide, and other assorted world events that get us down, bum us out and convince us that, yeah, totally—the sky is falling. Thank goodness for Joe Hartman's new one man show, Overwhelming Underdogs, in its second strong week at Arts on Real. Hartman's writing and acting, Kirk German's directing, and maybe a glass of wine from the in-theatre bar is the perfect antidote to thinking about all that other stuff. more ›

Eugene Mirman is much funnier than you. A mainstay of New York's alternative comedy scene, Mirman's profile has been even higher of late. In February, his Comedy Central Presents special debuted, and earlier this year, he was asked to cover the New Hampshire primaries for 236.com. He can also be seen as Jemaine and Bret's strange landlord in HBO's Flight Of The Conchords. A multi-year veteran of SXSW, Mirman is hosting this year's Web Awards at SXSW Interactive and is also performing at multiple SX venues during the music festival. more ›

Austin’s newest improv training center, the Merlin Works Institute for Improvisation, launched its first series of classes at the recently-opened Salvage Vanguard Theater this past Saturday. more ›

This is what SXSW free day parties are all about. Twelve bands, two venues, and short sets so that you can see as much as you can stomach. Forcefield and Terrorbird are having their blow-out at Emo’s and Emo’s Jr. on the first day of SXSW, kicking things off with quite a bang. more ›

Loaded Gun Theory is running their original new work The Automat at the Dougherty Arts Center. One word: Robots! 3/6-8, 12-15 @8pm & 3/9 @ 5pm. [tickets] // Austin darling Joe Hartman brings his Overwhelming Underdogs to Arts on Real. Thru 3/16, Th-Sa @8pm / Sun @5:30. [tickets] more ›

RSO [Registered Sex Offender], follows the unenviable life of one ex-convict, played by newbie Gabriel McIver, who must reintegrate into a world that has indefinitely deemed him a social leper. He must deal with all of the minutiae that all of these other sad, pitiful, white males that we love to capture on film must deal with, but with the dark cloud of criminal damnation hovering somewhere just above his brow, to humorous effect. We don't know what he did (just yet) but we are guessing that, in his case, the punishment and repulsion may not fit the crime. more ›

Two days after SXSW kicks off and our city becomes a living, breathing conglomeration of people from all walks of life, Austinist presents Local Music is Sexy at the PureVolume Ranch. Past Local Music is Sexy events have showcased acts such as The Black Angels, Brothers and Sisters, The Lemurs, The Corto Maltese, Black Before Red, and IV Thieves to name a few. Last year, we remember dancing the night away to Car Stereo (Wars)’ mad mash-ups, drinking free Red Bull (among other things), and having a go at the sweet Wii set up in that little lounge at the location. All in all, an excellent time. more ›

He’s a master of sampling and an early proponent of turntablism, but you won’t find Carl Stone working with Kanye any time soon. Instead, throughout his musical career, minimalist pioneer Stone has taken experimented with electronics and sound in a way that recalls his hero John Cage and other irrepressible avant-garde musicians of his ilk. more ›

Starting on Thursday evening, The Long Center is offering a Sneak Peak of the facility, with building tours on Thursday and Friday from 6-10p, and all day Saturday and Sunday from 10a-10p. The performance schedule is a tad overwhelming, so we're pointing out the theatre goodies we'd most like to see. more ›

Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely follows the adventures of an American Michael Jackson impersonator (Diego Luna) who meets a charming Marilyn Monroe impersonator (Samantha Morton) on the streets of Paris. Together, they travel to a commune populated exclusively by celebrity impersonators--a Neverlandesque place where everyone is famous, and the spotlight never fades. more ›

Justice made a pre SXSW stop at Stubb's on a freezing cold Monday night, playing tracks off their bass resistant, a-typical French house album "†" to a sold out crowd intent on keeping warm by living the dream: D.A.N.C.E. more ›

They Might Be Giants have been making music as a band since 1982. Their odd but endearing mix of accordian, saxophone, and guitars coupled with witty lyrics earned them a huge college radio following from the mid-80's on. Songs like "Don't Let's Start" and "Birdhouse In Your Soul" even became hits, and the duo toured and recorded ad infinitum. A second chapter of their story is quite unusual: TMBG are now famous in children's circles. In 2002, the group released "No!", a kids record they had recorded years earlier for fun. The record was a surprise smash, leading to deals with both Disney for a series of children's music CD's and Simon and Schuster for the CD + book Bed, Bed, Bed (which also features a pre-Juno Kimya Dawson). Having conquered the grownups and the kids, They Might Be Giants have also become in-demand composers for TV, doing the themes for "Malcolm In The Middle", "The Daily Show", and even some Dunkin' Donuts ads. We're unsure when the group sleeps, because they seem to be awfully prolific. more ›

Austin's own Weird Weeds spent seven months in the studio working on their latest full-length, I Miss This, and by their own admission, the effort asserted towards this record is by far the most intense in their history. One listen demonstrates their devout attention to detail in regards to both production and songwriting amply. "Red" oozes thick guitar dirges, sweetly tempered percussion and odes to Indian sitar harmonies (and carefully executed dissonance) with equal precision. more ›

Texas boys Best Fwends are back at SXSW this year, bringing their video game-centric melodies and hurried electronic downbeats to old fans and new ones. Call them out on their tongue-in-cheek approach to music making if you must, but these cats know exactly what they're doing, and manage to make three-dimensional songs that also know how to get down. Does Antony know how to get down? No, he really doesn't. Via email, Best Fwends Anthony and Dustin talk with us about their storied history, SXSW, and Daryl "Fucking" Hall. more ›

Snapshots from Sunday's Zilker Kite Festival more ›

At a time when so many indie dramas focus on directionless white twenty-somethings, it's refreshing (if not downright invigorating) to see a film about two black twenty-somethings who have no ostensible interest in dancefighting, and who have plenty to say about relationships, identity, and cultural displacement. more ›

If you're not familiar with the industrious Balmorhea-ns, you're doing yourself a grave disservice, and, frankly, need to get in touch with the scene. The music is vast, yet meticulously restrained: melancholy, determined pianos slowly upended by cellos, soft-spoken conversations between two acoustic guitars, and distant, inscrutable audio samples that elaborate on what each piece seems to urgently chronicle. more ›

Since 2001, the Rock 'n' Roll camp for girls based in Portland has instructed young women on the finer points of learning to play instruments and rocking out, while also helping to give their students a positive self-image and can-do attitude. more ›

Austin eco-friendly designerRené Geneva will show her hemp and organic wool designs at Fashion Week in Los Angeles with support from Austin's own EcoClean and Kendra Scott jewelery. more ›

In Intimidad, documentarians Ashley Sabin and David Redmon follow the lives of Cecy and Camilo, a young couple living in Reynosa, Mexico. Cecy and Camilo both work for minimum wage in maquiladoras, trying to save money to buy land, build themselves a house, and bring their daughter Loida back to live with them. more ›

Watching the presidential primary unfold these last few weeks, the thought has often occurred to us: "When will Obama and Clinton shut up about saving the people of Darfur from displacement and genocide, and start talking about the important stuff, like plaigarized speeches and superdelegates?" Haven't had the same reaction? Tonight, a very different kind of politics will be on display at the B. Iden Payne Theatre at the University of Texas. Our city will play host to one of the great voices for democracy and social justice in post-colonial Africa. more ›

Crane is at peak form when crafting worlds that her readers can easily relate to and recognize, even once they've taken an odd (if not outright bizarre) turn. Still, they're ultimately anchored in the honesty of the most basic of human emotions and needs, as in the near-realism of "Donovan's Closet": in a town not unlike Austin—where "you could weave a tapestry from the mutton chops alone"—we witness a relationship fall apart as the story's protagonist becomes obsessed with her boyfriend's lemon-scented closet. more ›

Photos courtesy Nash Cook. more ›

Psychedelic music came of age in Austin in the 60’s thanks in large to The 13th Floor Elevators and the emergence of The Vulcan Gas Company as a community and a venue to support the genre. (Check out this site for a history.) The Vulcan Gas Company (316 Congress Ave.) shut its doors in the 70’s but lately there has been a renewed interest in the era in part due to Scott Conn’s Dirt Road To Psychedelia documentary. The Black Angels must also be blamed thanked for this rejuvenation; the local outfit has paved the way for a new generation of psychedelic acts with their impressive 2006 release, Passover. A full-length follow-up is expected this May. more ›