Arts and Entertainment: May 2009 Archives

All this success and quality brought anticipation for this year's Veckatimest to fever pitch; tickets sold out for June 16th's show at the Parish room (with Here We Go Magic, alumni of our 2009 SXSW day party) before the album was even released. Chances are, you missed the boat, so we're pleased to offer a few chances to attend the show regardless of your ticket-buying trigger finger.

Buress, who comes with endorsements from Comedy Central ("Great, original material") and Time Out Chicago (their "Funniest Person in Chicago" winner), offers audiences the chance to follow a train of thought well past its logical conclusion. A fully representative bit laments the obliviousness of pigeons at bus stops ("you're not waiting for the bus, because you can fly") spins into commentary on the probable reaction of the media were he to act on his impulses ("black dudes are kicking pigeons!") before trying to determine what would make a winner at the pigeon-kicking olympics ("'Squuaaaaaaaaaw-ohhhhh!' 'That's a gold medal.'"). Fans of the "What's the deal with shoelaces?"-brand of comedy may be left scratching their heads, but the rest of us are in for one hell of a good time.

While Dale Watson's The Truckin' Sessions Vol. 2 most immediately follows last year's Help Your Lord, the album comes more significantly as a follow up to an album over a decade old 1998's critically acclaimed The Truckin' Sessions. Like that earlier release, The Truckin' Sessions Vol. 2 spins tales of truck driving men to music so two-step ready that the album might as well come with a six-pack of longnecks. Watson's brand of Americana is further progeny of the swing-inspired regional music most readily identified with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, but which also gave us the redneck rockers of Austin's cosmic cowboy past. Watson has placed himself clearly in that tradition, and this most recent release owes a direct debt to the late Waylon Jennings.

Axel Willner records under the moniker The Field, and just released the thoughtful Yesterday and Today, his sophomore album and first with the addition of two new members. Yesterday and Today features six tracks of warm, personable techno, and includes guest John Stanier of Battles on the title track. The Field is performing at The Mohawk on Friday with The Juan Maclean, Ian Orth, and Jeramy Neugent, and Willner talked with us about his move from Stockholm to Berlin, remixing Thom Yorke and making changes.

Animators, fine artists, and anyone who appreciates the human form in all of its nude glory will whip out their easels and lumps of charcoal on Saturday from 1 to 4 pm for the first Naked Lunch figure drawing session at the United States Art Authority.

Thanks to everyone who attended the very smooth Yacht Rock Austinist Indieroke & Hoot Night this past Wednesday at The Mohawk. Although a few non-Yacht Rock songs did sneak into the playlist (and we’ll correct that in future themed Indieroke events), all in all, we were treated to spectacular renditions of a fair amount of Loggins and Messina, Doobie Brothers, Toto, Hall & Oates, and Steely Dan songs, and some stellar soft-rock covers by Watch Out For Rockets and mouse.about. John Pesina was there to capture all the shenanigans.

Oceana, currently playing at the Vortex Theater, is a cross between Cirque de Soleil and Spongebob Squarepants. Okay, okay, no it’s not, though it does take place under the sea and features plenty of graceful and limber dancing, including some aerial work. And the costumes! The costumes! Really nice shiny, stretchy, shimmery job on the costumes! Bonnie Collum (writer/director) and Content Love Knowles (original music and lyrics) have joined forces to create one shell of a show. (Confession - performances about the ocean lend themselves so well to the urge to pun, that it’s nearly impossible to clam up. For instance, this musical features plenty o’ Merman, though no Ethel.)

In The Long Now, currently playing at the Blue Theater, Tish Reilly (played by Shannon Grounds) may or may not have Time on her side. That’s because in this case, time is not merely a concept of measurement, nor is time a chronological matter. Instead, Time, as portrayed in shadow via puppets and given voice by actor T. Lynn Mikeska, is a character as real to Tish—and at times more real—than the other humans who inhabit this original production written and directed by Edward Albee protégée Beth Burns. Burns plays with the themes of memory and trauma and how the latter can lead to severe arrested development, as is the affliction that plagues poor Tish. In a sort of reverse Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind trick, Tish is forever seeking ways not to erase the past and move forward, but rather, with the help of her friend Time, avoid the present and trip back to handful of happy memories that make up the before—no spoiler here, just know that early on, Tish had something very bad happen to her and to say she’s had a hard time facing reality is an understatement.

About 100 Austin literary aficionados gathered Wednesday night at St. Edward’s University to sample wine, duck and brie quesadillas and the ambiance of Roy Blount stories. It was the Writers’ League of Texas spring fund raiser. As Blount set his wine glass on the podium, it started to slide. He deftly caught it and remarked, “I hate slanted podiums. They must think that a man can’t drink and lecture at the same time.” He, of course, can, though the evening felt more like a living room chat than a formal talk. He mostly told tales. Even the question and answer period was a dialog, with frequent comments and friendly interruptions from the audience. His journalist story about a trip to the Bellaire home of Wilt Chamberlain displayed the keen ear and comic mime ability of southern story tellers. He was funny, in a high humor sense. One of many writers who rose from the ranks of magazine journalists, he published his 21st book, Alphabet Juice, last year.

What’s the Deal: Gaby Moreno is a Guatemalan singer/songwriter living in Los Angeles. Her bilingual tunes blend acoustic, soul and pop into a sound that’s strong enough to win the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, which is part of the Maxell Song of the Year awards.

The Vans Warped Tour is back and taking charge this summer with more rocktastic bands than ever. Like years past, there is a Battle of the Bands competition. What's different about this year's competition? An Austin band is currently second in line to win the ultimate grand prize—a trip to Hollywood to play at the Vans after party, $15,000 Guitar Center shopping spree, Alternative Press Exposure, full Ernie Ball Music Man endorsement, guaranteed fame for life, etc. Who are these lucky bastards? Fatback Circus, up-and-coming avant-garde funk masters of the city.

Exiled in America, a short film by local director Angela Torres Camarena, has been selected to appear in the ninth annual Media That Matters Film Festival in New York City. Only twelve “inspiring” films made the cut, and beginning on June 4th they will all be available for public viewing through the festival’s Web site.

Freakshow-A-Go-Go began in Portland last May and is intended to reclaim freakshows as an empowering art form where performers can express their freakiness without being objectified ... freakily. The show will feature an extensive list of gender-bending talent from around the country performing live music, puppetry, burlesque, acrobatics, dance, and comedy. Fourteen performers have been confirmed, including a pre-show featuring the 1920s musical stylings of WinoVino and the professional clowning of Schave & Reilly. PJ Chavez of “Live! From PantsuitLand” fame will take on hosting duties in her usual retro pantsuit and visor.

This Saturday, the Pachanga Latino Music Festival takes over Fiesta Gardens and closes out Austin Latino Music Month with a full day of music and arts inspired by the Latin culture. Festival co-founders Rich Garza and Alex Vallejo have assembled quite a fine line-up for the second year of this fest, including Mexican Institute Of Sound, (read out interview with Camilo Lara here), Michael Salgado, Brownout!, Mariachi Las Alteñas, Maneja Beto, David Garza, Ocote Soul Sounds, among many others. We touched base with Rich Garza last week and learned that he is especially looking forward to the sets by M.I.S., Salgado, and Mariachi Las Alteñas (a thirteen piece all female mariachi band). Garza is pleased with the new venue for the festival as well -- “Fiesta Gardens is worthy of its own signature festival. It's in the middle of the East Austin, the heart and soul of the Latino community in Austin and it's on the water.”

The mysterious process of selecting a band name can only be the subject of conjecture among non-musicians. Case in point: local trio The Gary. How they came to name themselves after your dad is anyone's guess, but peculiar as it may be, The Gary's chosen handle is not the band's most interesting characteristic. There is, of course, the music to consider, principally that from their debut EP Chub, released earlier this year.

Skinny jeans, a dance beat, a major label deal, allusions to a "cocaine brunch" and songs about rich girls...what year is this again?

Austin's People's Community Clinic was founded in 1970 and is one of the longest running independent primary care clinics in the country. Their innovative programs include a Primary Care Clinic for Teens and Young Adults which is located downtown at the American YouthWorks charter school. Tonight, the clinic is hosting an open house and art show which will feature health and wellness themed photography shot by area teens. The event is open to the public and PCC staff will be on hand to discuss services at their young adult clinic.

After weeks of planning, the rather special, very smooth Yacht Rock Austinist Indieroke & Hoot Night has finally arrived. Tonight, head down to The Mohawk at the early kick-off time of 8 p.m. and for a measly $3, sing your favorite soft-rock classics while also enjoying short sets of 70’s hits by local musicians. Performances by Watch Out For Rockets, members of Canopy, and mouse.about are all on the schedule but fear not, for you and your inner Kenny Loggins will still have ample opportunities to take the stage and cast your spell on the audience. We are also expecting a few individual tributes and Michael McDonald especially seems to be a firm favorite of the staple Indieroke attendee. The three bands on the bill have promised the likes of “Maneater” by Hall & Oates, “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac, and “Listen To The Music” by Doobie Brothers, and guests from a few other local acts will also be making cameos. Tonight’s Indieroke promises to be a unique evening when Austin’s finest Yacht Rock connoisseurs come together and pay homage to all things soft-rock.

We've been keeping you in the loop about KLRU's new program, ACL Stage Left, and for those of you who missed the RSVP for Leatherbag and Brazos, we've got a treat. Check out Leatherbag performing "On Down the Line" (above) and follow the jump to see Martin Crane from Brazos doing a moving rendition of "Mary Jo". We can't wait to see who is on the bill next.

Manchester Orchestra starts out most of their material with emotional, peaceful little chunks of harmony; then, like a chainsaw to a tree, the sound is quickly interrupted by raw unearthy screamo licks. The band's mix is definitely indie rock, but it totally stands out from many others in the genre. The Atlanta-based boys spawned like any other—a rebellion to the alienating feeling of growing up in a small town at a Christian high school.

In a sense, Veckatimest is what happens when a bunch of ridiculously talented musicians think their way so staunchly through their songs that the end result is something a little too polished, a little too perfect. But this isn’t just a case of excessive studio sheen, as that knob twisting isn’t significantly more spit-shined than on the exceptional Yellow House; instead, it’s the instrumentation itself that adheres so closely to the “right” way of doing things that much of the magic of discovery and mistake is lost. Still, this isn’t to say that Veckatimest isn’t a wonderful work, because it is. But how about this: is it possible for an album to be a sweeping, marvelous success in so many ways, yet still, at the end of the day, feel like a disappointment? To that question, Veckatimest says yes.

The endearing entity that is US Air Guitar was founded in 2003 and has since churned out three of the last six winners of the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland. Last Year, Californian Craig “Hot Lixx Hulahan” Billmeier took home the ultimate bragging rights in the world of invisible six-strings and he will return to Finland to defend his crown come August. Will you be the one to dethrone Hot Lixx Hulahan? Head to the downtown Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at 10 p.m. this Wednesday, sign up, and show off your skills in this third round of preliminaries taking place that evening at the magical arena that is the old Ritz.

Austinites have watched Loxsly grow up. Since the early days (when they were almost always referred to as 'those kids from Waco'), fans of the group have been treated to a constantly evolving and progressing sound. Tomorrow's Fossils proves that the prolific young group is soon going to reap the rewards of their hard work in the trenches of the over-saturated Austin scene.

Jeff Hanson has an amazing voice. A wide array of instruments are utilized to construct Hanson's rich, textured compositions but the most stirring is his delicate falsetto. Once the requisite poignant lyricism and easy-on-the-ears melodies are stirred in, the listener is treated to some truly memorable folk and pop ditties. There is a hint of Elliott Smith to it all, which naturally is pretty high praise. Hanson learned to play the guitar at a very early age and formed his first band M.I.J. in his teenage years. He signed with Kill Rock Stars in 2003; purchase his 2008 release Madam Owl (his third for Kill Rock Stars) here. Follow the jump to watch the video for "If Only I Knew."

This year's Chaos In Tejas Fest provided an early summer ode to all things loud and noisy, and proved to be an exceptional kick-off to what is shaping up to be a great summer of live music. Here's a wrap-up covering highlights from the diverse strains of punk, hardcore, and indie featured this year.

Trash Talk & Propagandhi at Mohawk, photos courtesy Alison Narro and Nash Cook. For more Trash Talk, as well as Strange Boys, Thermals, Cro-Mags, the 3 a.m. show on the Lamar Bridge, and much, much more, follow the jump.

Hjertestop, Destino Final, Peligro Social, Brutal Knights, Cock Sparrer photographed by Amanda Klaus for Austinist.com.

In our fine capital city, we often get spoiled with the amount of independent music born here, right under our noses. With so many indie labels and artists, it's easy to sometimes overlook an amazing talent or forget how incredible the talent is that you've already discovered here. Balmorhea (pronounced Bal-moor-ay) is group that once heard live is impossible to forget. Standing yards apart from the typical indie setup, Balmorhea gives us gripping classical instrumentation wrapped in a tender, acoustic package.

In these tough economic times, wouldn't we all just relish the opportunity to pretend to be wealthy? Well, luckily Pump Project Art Complex is providing one such chance with their Pretend You Are Rich Art Auction taking place on Saturday. The faux-riche event centers around the art auction where bidding starts at $3,000; winning bidders are then granted a $3,000 instant rebate. There will be a silent auction, running from 7-10pm, and a live auction hosted by Coldtowne Theater's Arthur Simone that will begin at 8pm. Both auctions will raise money for Pump Project Art Complex, a non-profit art studio and gallery space that is no doubt feeling the recession pinch.

Chaos in Tejas 5 is well underway and hopefully you were able to catch the likes of Propagandhi, Trash Talk, The Bellrays, Black Panda, Cro-Mags, Annihilation Time, and Extra Golden at The Mohawk, Beerland, and Emo’s last night (Snapshots). The punk-hardcore fest rages on all weekend and the schedule for Friday evening contains some of the best action. Of course there is The Thermals show at the 'hawk (read our interview with Kathy Foster from the band here) and there’s a countless number of ferocious bands at Emo’s and Beerland. But there’s a couple of late night extravaganzas this evening as well -- catch Japanese band AI along with Austin’s World Burns To Death at the Broken Neck after hours or head over to the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge late at night for Canadian punk band Career Suicide and a special guest.

Photos from last night's Black Panda, Broken Gold and Bellrays show courtesy Amanda Klaus.

The Arizona-based composer Jeph Jerman's "Animist Orchestra" is group-based performance art that uses the elements of our natural world - "dried leaves, stones, pine cones, seeds, and bleached bones" - as instruments in creating an organic work of sound.

Audio Inversions is an organization dedicated to presenting concerts that showcase new compositions by contemporary composers and they're holding their season finale this evening at the Long Center. The program is entitled “Meditations and Homage," and includes a piece by the winner of their composition competition, Baljinder Singh Sekhon, entitled "Lou" which was written for cello and percussion orchestra.

A respected American humorist, writer, and frequent panelist on NPR's Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me, Roy Blount Jr.'s career spans nearly two dozen books (most recently, Long Time Leaving: Dispatches From Up South) and clips in publications far and wide, from The New Yorker and The New York Times to Esquire and Sports Illustrated. He's coming to Austin next week to participate in the live taping of "Wait Wait" at Bass Concert Hall on Thursday, and will also be around the evening before to deliver a special presentation for the Writers' League of Texas.

Yesterday afternoon, we spoke with Mr. Hudgins and feel that we now have a clearer story, at least from the state's point of view, and wish to tidy up some omissions and inaccuracies that were presented, not only by us, but by other media outlets as well.

Jazz vocalist Kat Edmonson moved from Houston to Austin to attend school, but instead attended jazz shows at the Elephant Room, formed her own band, and released the album Take to the Sky. in mid-February. The album features a bossa nova version of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" and "Lucky," which made an appearance on the Showtime program United States of Tara.

Debutantes and Vagabonds' Are You Alive?, billed as "a collection of macabre theatre", and featuring a series of short plays interspersed with performances from various notable local bands—White Ghost Shivers, The Georgian Company, or Scott H. Biram, depending on the night—turned out to be a compelling concept that, in practice, had little reason to exist.

Jonathan Meiburg’s pristine voice makes incantations out of lyrics. With its disciplined swells and polished weight, Shearwater taps an almost medieval resonance, seemingly without anachronism. If you are thinking of going green but just haven’t found the energy, there is plenty of inspiration here.

What began in 2006 as an equal parts homecoming for the new season and fashionable fundraiser has grown into something of a tradition for the festival, the largest of its kind in the southwest. Like in past years, this year's BLOOM culminates in a raffle where one lucky boy or girl will drive away in a brand new Subaru of his or her choice (valued up to $24k)—as only up to 2,000 of their $20 raffle tickets are to be sold, the chances of winning are significantly better than, say, winning American Idol. Guests at BLOOM also get to enjoy an open bar while checking out a sampling from some of the films to be screened at this year's festival.

Information about the members of Dopplereffekt is scarce; active since 1995, the group has never been interviewed. They rarely play live. And what we do know, we can break down for you fairly quickly: the founding, and initially sole member of Dopplereffekt (they’ve been a duo since 2003) is generally thought to be Gerald Donald, AKA Rudolf Klorzeiger, once half of the pioneering electro group Drexciya. Sundry Germanic references populate many of the group’s early recordings, and as such it may not surprise you to learn that the music, most of which was collected on 1999’s Gesamtkunstwerk, is essentially a minimal electro homage to Kraftwerk.

It's official: Chaos in Tejas is upon us. The week's festivities kicked off last night at Red 7 with Ponytail, Harlem, Teenage Cool Kids and Yellow Fever. Austinist contributing photographer Pooneh Ghana was there to capture it all. Tonight we're looking forward to Trash Talk and Propogandhi at the Mohawk and much more: stay tuned for more photos from the events.

Beats Broke placed second at this year’s Austin Music Awards and the local label has delivered a (less than ominous) warning to the winner Fat Caddy Records -- “You are the Scottie Pippin to our Michael Jordan…no, wait…you are Horace Grant. Yeah, I said it…Horace Grant! You’ll be busy polishing your Rec Specs at home while we’re slamming it down from the free throw line with our tongue out at next year’s Austin Music Awards.”

In the face of weather that money can’t change, it pays to have good neighbors. Saturday around noon, with hopeful punsters standing in mud puddles under tents and the rain unrelenting, the Hilton came through with an offer that no one could sneeze at: the use of their ballroom. A bedraggled and grateful crowd shuffled from the backyard of the O. Henry Museum over to the big house. And the fancy digs could not dampen the low humor. While the streaming video webcast was washed out and the contestants were all wet, the word nerds still managed to shine. Their puns, thankfully, had spark.

Tori Amos is coming to the Long Center on July 25. Tickets go on sale May 26 here.

Molly Siegel’s mouth is the motor driving it all: there is yelping, some shrieking. There will be warbling. The effect is that of a punchy, anthemic stadium rock from outer space.

The Thermals formed in 2002 and dropped their debut More Parts Per Million the following year. The band’s vivacious pop-punk ditties garnered the attention of one Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) and their career gained further momentum with 2004’s F*ckin' A, their first album for Sub Pop (and our personal favorite). Drummer Jordan Hudson departed soon after and as a result, Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster took it upon themselves to play all the instruments on album number three The Body, The Blood, The Machine, produced by Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty.

The second annual Pachanga Latino Music Festival takes place at Fiesta Gardens on May 30th featuring music from Mexican Institute Of Sound, Michael Salgado, Brownout!, Ocote Soul Sounds, Mariachi Las Alteñas, Gaby Moreno, Manejo Beto, and many more. This year, the festival also includes Niños Rock Pachanga, a kid-friendly area with instructional demos by musicians, dance lessons, and Annie Ray’s renowned photo-booth.

Butch Walker is an interesting fellow. With the appearance of a grunge rocker and a sound juxtaposing indie rock and mainstream pop, we're not quite sure what to think of him. Perhaps the best way to describe him is in to comparison of the delightfully weird candy commonly referred to as "Pop Rocks". At first taste Butch brings heavy, refined rock rhythms quickly followed by jolting, carbonated pop anthems. When consuming "Pop Rocks" a similar phenomenon occurs. The candy is sweet and mild before interrupted with an "oh shit, why are things dancing in my mouth?" feeling. Regardless of the funny feeling leftover, you can't help but somewhat enjoy the experience.

The longstanding and heavy as hell sludge-rockers The Melvins are making a stop at Emo's this evening to perform their 1993 breakthrough album Houdini in its entirety.

Artistic entities like Monofonus Press are like that little extra mint on the pillow of Austin that makes life here that much sweeter. They put out records by artists like Over the Hill, The Golden Boys and Pillow Queens, but they’re a lot more than a record label. Monofonus press also works with writers and visual artists, which they often pair with the records they release for the well-rounded, indie artistic overload that is the IF Series. The Austin-based label + multimedia organization was born and has developed in a very organic way. They started with the intention of putting together like-minded, talented artists to collaborate and produce multi-media excursions, but what they created was a community of interlocking art forms each of which works to further the other. The Press is always evolving, and you can expect that they’ll keep churning out releases as long as the thriving Austin art scene keeps an eye fixed and an ear perked.

If it's too loud, you're from out of town.

The big-for-an-indie-budget-action-film Waco, based, of course, on the horrifically bungled 1993 raid of everyone's favorite cult religious sect compound, was formally trotted out into the public eye last week at the Cannes Film Festival, and was purportedly slated to be filmed in Texas proper. However, not a week later, Charles Ealy reported on Austin360.com that the film would in fact not be shot in Texas, seeing as the Texas Film Commission had decided to not recommend film incentives due to objections from an "unnamed senator."

Despite his role as their mostly anonymous lead guitarist, there remains little doubt that Andrew Whiteman is a key figure making Broken Social Scene as dynamic as they are. And there’s even less doubt that it’s an admirable move on his part to avoid the whole Broken Social Scene Presents nonsense that gave (perhaps questionable) legitimacy to releases by good-enough-to-do-it-on-his-own Kevin Drew and probably-had-no-chance-without-the-help Brendan Canning. But while flying under the Apostle of Hustle banner is a strong statement of creative independence, with that comes not only substantial reward, but also substantial risk. And with Eats Darkness, Apostle of Hustle’s third LP, which side of that coin gets more play becomes quite the relevant question.

Local label Dead Oceans is releasing Vanderslice's latest effort today, and fans of the singer/songwriter will be thrilled upon listening to opening track, "Tremble and Tear". A wistful collection of harmonious vocal layers, Fleetwood Mac-ish acoustic guitars and patient percussion open the album with familiar Vanderslice lightness and attention to detail. Recording for the first time in his home studio, Vanderslice left the comforts of his studio, Tiny Telephone (in San Fransisco) to work on this record, and the results are brilliant. "Fetal Horses" oozes early Smiths melody, but its complicated subject matter and happily discordant piano and sudden, jerky guitar accompaniment make the song undeniably JV. "D.I.A.L.O." combines more vocal harmonies, synths and addictive melody, this time against a slightly more robust percussive section. Closer "Hard Times" brings everything back around full circle, its spacious reflections lending credence to the common claim that Vanderslice is writing some of the smartest, most thoughtful and emotionally wrought songs out there.

The Independent sits on the corner of I-35 and E. 5th Street, just blocks from downtown destinations like Emo's, Red 7 and Beauty Bar. It's also a short walk to emerging east side hot spots like Shangri-La and Rio Rita. Its unassuming (and a bit office-like) presence has, until recently, been rolled into the Pilate and Latte vibe produced by its neighbors -- lawyers, designers and Progress Coffee regulars -- but that's all about to change.

Tonight, KLRU hosts its second Community Cinema screening featuring this documentary, which explores the effects that the incredibly discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy has had on our nation's military and its gay and lesbian service members. Held in the venerable halls of the KLRU Austin City Limits studio, the doors to the Community Cinema screening of Ask Not will open at 6:30 p.m., with the film starting promptly at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a questions and answer discussion with local veterans about the DADT policy and how it affected their experience in the military.

The Dears were at the forefront of the Canadian indie music renaissance of the late 90s, and Missiles proves they’ve maintained the charisma that makes the dark pop scene they shaped irresistible. A subtler offering than previous albums, Missiles is clear-eyed and sober, deftly employing maturity even while asserting the earnestness that makes the Dears so engaging.

Photos of the sold-out Stubb's show courtesy Eric Uhlir.

A three-pronged assault of all things heavy hits Emo’s this Tuesday. First up, Brooklyn trio tombs will do its level best to blast the neighboring Spiro’s nightclub into oblivion with thunderous rawk off its new Winter Horse album. Chicago’s Pelican is next with lengthy doses of instrumental sludge-metal. We’ve been fans of the band ever since 2003’s impressive Australasia. Although Pelican will drop its new EP Ephemeral on Southern Lord, they still appear to be associated with Hydra Head Records (which released the band’s three full-lengths). Pelican is scheduled to release the Champions of Sound 2x7" on Hydra Head (with the likes of Kayo Dot, Zozobra, and Stove Bredsky) this year as well as a split 7" on Temporary Residence Limited with another of our favorites, Young Widows.

Don't miss the great art related events taking place this weekend! Here's a rundown of some of the highlights: This is the last weekend to see the Blanton's The Birth of the Cool exhibit. The museum is offering public tours of the Midcentury show (on Saturday at 2pm, and on Sunday at 2pm and 3pm) and is extending hours on Saturday until 8pm. The Blanton will also be screening the film Visual Acoustics a documentary study that follows architectural photographer Julius Shulman. Filmmaker Eric Bricker will be on hand to give a Q&A.

Where to begin? If you read the title of this post and didn't pee a little, then either you're: A) a ledger-blind CPA in your mid-to-late 50s, B) a dimension-traveling psychic man-child just beginning to understand our culture, or C) a very lucky Austin resident about to have more new favorite bands than you know what to do with. Really, all three of the aforementioned will find something to swoon over in this lineup.

Despite the fact that this record is a debut, none of these guys are first-timers. Singer, songwriter and guitarist David Williams has been around just about every block there is musically; he's performed with Texas punk outfit Vomit Pigs, post-punked with Self Is On the Throne, and even made his way through NYC's underground hip-hop scene with the Jungle Brothers. Now settled in Austin with his current bandmates, Williams finds himself nestled in a niche somewhere between post-punk and something like classic rock (think: Pavement).

If the name Ian Svenonius doesn't immediately ring a bell, you'll probably know of his many projects over the years, starting with the influential Nation of Ulysses in the early '90s and continuing onward with the minimal r&b punk of The Make-Up and the more abstract Weird War

Photos from Arthouse at Jones Center's 10th annual 5x7 Art Splurge & Exhibition last night. 5x7 anonymously displays art from hundreds of recognized artists whose identity is revealed only after purchase.

We all know the Austin music scene is amazing and constantly burgeoning, but there's this little town called Denton about three hours to the north that holds a flaming candle to the talent here. The town is home to the University of North Texas where many creative types flock to learn more about music in a much more affordable town. There's dozens of little gems just waiting to be discovered there, but let's face it -- not many of us want to make that drive and give up a weekend in Austin. Luckily, one of the treasures formed in the little D is coming down for a performance at the Parish room. Centro-matic is not newly discovered by any means.

The Mohawk continues to bring in a wide variety of acts to our city. In the next few months, we can expect to see The Juan Maclean, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Bonnie Prince Billy, Au Revoir Simone, Holy Fuck, B-Real (Cypress Hill), St. Vincent, Sunset Rubdown, 2 Live Crew, and The Orb at what can now easily be classified as one of Austin’s top venues, home to the perhaps the most diverse set of artists in town each month. We recommend adding those shows to your calendar sooner than later but this Saturday evening, cancel all your plans and head down to the 'hawk to catch the legend of Ghost. We’re expecting a truly memorable performance, a psychedelic extravaganza encompassing a number of genres, produced by exceptional musicians skilled in a plethora of instruments (including the flute, cello, harp, bouzouki, contrabass, tabla, theremin, among many others).

The performance series, spread over three nights, splices together a series of short plays from local playwrights Aimee Gonzalez, Fred Jones IV, Greg Romero, and Sarah Saltwick, with live music from notable Austin bands—White Ghost Shivers on night one, Georgian Company on night two, and Scott H. Biram closing things down. Each play is punctuated with a song or two from the musical guest, creating a sort-of variety show effect that offers a few different takes on what makes the live arts so vital.

Lingering somewhere around Minnesota, the Dakotas and Wisconsin, which is where they’re from, this month and the next is a musical threesome with an eccentric indie folk sound. Their thick, sweepy layers of music and lyrics have reached out like tentacles ensnaring music fans like those at Minnesota’s public radio program The Current and fellow musicians like Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, who mixed their debut out this month, In Difference to a Broken Back. The album was actually inspired by singer/bassist Jason Sunde’s struggle with a back injury a few years ago.

Waiter, waiter, there’s HAIR in my musical! It certainly seems that way with RENT, the smash hit Broadway musical currently playing at the Bass Concert Hall. And the plot/musical numbers aren’t just reminiscent, at times, of that other musical, HAIR. The audience will get whiffs of other shows, too. But above all, the plot derives (purposefully) from Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème, right down to the same-named female protagonists— Mimi— who, in both the original opera and the Broadway show, are both overly flirtatious and terminally ill. But one needn’t be familiar with the opera to enjoy its updated version. RENT is packed with some outstanding moments and more than a few excellent songs. Basically, what we have is a group of young, fucked up, starving artist types squatting in NYC’s East Village, trying to figure out life and love and, like, you know, The Meaning of It All. Is this a tired premise? Certainly not for fans of literary archetypes—the old man vs. man, man vs. himself, man vs. nature (or the concrete jungle in this instance). Mark (Anthony Rapp) is our narrator, a documentary filmmaker hounded by his answering machine, which fills up with nagging messages from, among others, his Jewish mother and a TV producer wanting him to make a soul-selling deal-with-the-devil. His roommate, Roger (Adam Pascal), is HIV positive, rendered more or less agoraphobic until Mimi (Lexi Lawson) the junkie-stripper with AIDs hurls herself at him and mad love ensues.

Local entity Learning Secrets’ hands sure are in a lot of pies. Besides doing PR for a number of bands like Grupo Fantasma and Ume and events ranging from Fun Fun Fun Fest to The DJ Melee, the head honchos, Ian Orth and Jeramy Neugent constantly DJ at choice venues around town. Of late, Learning Secrets has piloted the beats at the Blanton Museum of Art’s B scene at the beginning of this month, the Glass Candy show last weekend at The Mohawk, and of course, their own shindig at Beauty Bar in April.

Why is Austinist giving away tickets to Toronto's North by North East festival, you ask? Well, if you're paying close attention, you already know that the festival -- now in its 29th year -- has enough Austin in it to justify our excitement. Not only have they created a sustainable festival that covers music, film and conferences patterned after our own love-child SXSW, they also work hard each year to represent Texas well in their lineup.

The title is intriguing. A quick read, however, reveals that while Baltimore’s Fell’s Point is definitely urban, working two jobs, traveling to Bosnia and taking a cross-country trip with friends to Montana, hardly qualifies as a hermit. Instead, it is good marketing. Sam Macdonald, a first-book author with a blurb from his MFA program director on the back cover and a tuna can on the front, delivers a conflicted narrative told with self-deprecating humor.

While we here at Austinist primarily review music on CD, digitally, or on eight-track cassette, we do have a longstanding love of vinyl. Here we’ll take a look at five recent “7 singles put out by musicians both local and from afar.

Los Angeles electronic duo The Crystal Method, comprised of Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, formed in 1993 and began garnering much fame and acclaim thanks to early singles like “Now Is The Time” and “Keep Hope Alive.” Their 1997 record Vegas was the soundtrack to many a rave and dance party in L.A. and beyond, and eventually went platinum. No strangers to Austin, The Crystal Method performed at Zilker Park in 1997 at the MTV Sports and Music Festival and also turned in quite a few gigs at SXSW 2009. The Austin stop next week is part of a month long U.S. jaunt in support of their brand new release Divided By Night; LA Riots open.

Short-story master William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) is remembered for his twist endings. Each year, twenty stories published in the US or Canada receive the prestigious award that bears his name. Editor Laura Furman, a professor at UT’s Michener center and founder of Austin-based lit mag American Short Fiction, had the onerous task of sorting through heaps of submissions for inclusion in The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2009.

Author Laura Dave will be in town this week to promote her second novel, The Divorce Party, now in paperback. Whereas her first novel, London Is the Best City in America, focuses on the events surrounding a wedding, the action in The Divorce Party takes place within a 24-hour period in which Gwyn, a sixty-something Montauk housewife, throws a fete for her divorce. The novel is divided in four parts, with each part split among the characters of Gwyn and her soon-to-be daughter-in-law Maggie. While Gwyn is facing the end of a thirty-five year marriage, Maggie is coming to grips with her own commitment issues.

Let us begin with a succinct review for Austin Shakespeare’s production of Romeo and Juliet, currently playing for Free at Zilker. Ready? Here it is: WOO-HOO! Though that’s all you really need to know, here’s a little more for you stickler-for-details types.

With a sound perhaps best described as Bacchanalian, the dizzying Akron/Family’s constant is cock-eyed optimism. It certainly seems like every sonic phrase this mock-cult "family" touches takes on a bearded, barefoot life of its own, all of them scampering vertiginously onward in the practice of freak-folk’s highest ambition: musical animism.

Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction at the Frank Erwin Center, May 12. Photos courtesy Chad Wadsworth.

Kicking off in early October with American novelist and general literary badass Elizabeth Gilbert, the Paramount will play host to a variety of big productions (Of Mice and Men, Cirque Shanghai, Stomp), musicians (Rufus Wainwright, Wynton Marsalis, Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band), and heroes of public radio (David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell) through next May. Other notable surprises among the schedule include John Waters' doubtlessly over-the-top 'Holiday Show', the adorably rascally Don Rickles, and actress Diane Keaton.

The word around town (specifically from Chris Garcia at the Statesman) is that come May 21st, the Galaxy Highland will have a brand new technology, only released last March, which bears the unfortunate name of D-Box (which immediately made us think of D-Bag, a horse of a completely different color, no doubt). D-Box replicates the motion happening on screen, frame-by-frame, in each and every theater seat. You will, allegedly, feel like you are actually in the movie.

Austinist Indieroke returns this month for a very special edition. On Wednesday the 27th, as always at The Mohawk, come on down and perform your favorite 70’s soft rock ditties. Be it Toto, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, or Christopher Cross, we want to hear your best rendition of a classic smooth jam.

Blame it on our fair city's populism, but secrets don't typically stay secret for very long here. The land of velvet ropes, VIP-only entrances and tucked-away, always-reserved tables at restaurants feels very far away. Even our secret shows and pirate radio stations are fairly conspicuous, and in the case of KAOS radio, you might stumble onto some of the movers and shakers while walking the dog or grabbing a drink in north Austin.

Rarely do bands actually have release shows on the day their album is released, which is usually a Tuesday and isn’t always conducive to partying and general merrymaking. In many ways, Tuesday is the worst day of the week. Friday seems too far and you don’t have the Monday blues as an excuse for slacking at work. Perhaps this is why the people who pick days picked Tuesday to be album release day, to give everyone a reason to wait for this not-so-pleasant day. And maybe, this is why Austin’s Jude/Ross decided to hold their album release at the Mohawk on this day.

Andrew Kinney is an Austin native that most of us recognize when we hear him sing. His previous work in American Analog Set is forever cemented in the minds of indie music lovers. Though he's spent a spell in NY, performed with a wide variety of other groups since AmAnSet went on hiatus (Broken Social Scene, Ola Podrida, Album Leaf), and had a lot of time earlier in '09 devoted to reuniting AmAnSet for SXSW, he's found the time to put together a new collection of songs on Barsuk.

Last night's Elvis Perkins in Dearland show at the Parish was a special treat. The crowd came early for Other Lives, a lush folk outfit from Oklahoma, taking their seats and (shockingly) listening quietly to the opening set. Other Lives performed a cover of Leonard Cohen's "The Partisan", which astounded us with its haunting instrumentation. Elvis Perkins in Dearland took the stage to an anxious crowd (by this point, many were seated on the floor in front of the stage), and rolled through some familiar songs from this year's self-titled release as well as a couple of new songs. For the encore, Other Lives joined them on stage for a blistering finale. Happy faces descended to 6th street by midnight, but the lingering joy stuck with us to the morning. Austinist contributing photographer Chad Wadsworth was there to capture it all.

Justin Townes Earle turned in an exceptional set of Americana ditties last Saturday at Stubb's. Austinist contributing photographer Nash Cook was there to capture all the action. Earle is currently on tour in support of his latest album, Midnight At The Movies, released this past March on Bloodshot Records. If you're wondering, yes, he is the son of Steve Earle and was named after Townes Van Zandt.

Let us put it plainly: this is 2009's 'I saw them when' show. We suspect that in a few years, both of tonight's acts at The Parish Room will be turning up again at Stubb's or the Austin Music Hall, and many will kick themselves for missing the opportunity to catch this double bill of pretty and intelligent pop and Americana.

Photos from Friday's Star Trek premiere party at the Bob Bullock Museum, hosted by Austin Planetarium. Attendees enjoyed Star Trek music performed by the Austin Wind Symphony, improv by Start Trekkin, and a panoply of Trek-themed beverages and snacks. Most importantly (and as expected), Darth Vader made a surprise appearance.

Bill Callahan has announced his summer tour dates, including a final show here in Austin at the Parish on July 5.

If Buckner’s voice were a wine, it would be heavy with oak, and his instrumentation is also undeniably gnarled with country fundamentals, cutting a swath following the simplest path the way a river does. And yet, his vocals resonate with a shimmering, almost phosphorescent quality that rises above the workaday flesh of the very songs they narrate.

The one-man grit explosion that is Scott H. Biram moved us once to say, "He has a true stage presence that could be fairly compared to that of Clint Eastwood on film. The dude's more dude than most other dudes you will ever meet." Dude. And Black Eyed Vermillion features member's of Hank III's Assjack who make a cowpunk racket led by the gravel-voiced B.E. Vermillion.

Max Moses, whose smiling mug you may have seen on advertisement for Dell Children's Hospital, contracted Leukemia in January. Since then, he's become the hospital's poster child, proving himself one of those amazing people who manages to confront major adversity with a general good mood. Good mood or not, however, the cost of treating Max's illness is significant, which is why there is a benefit show Sunday at Antone's. Attendees can catch a slew of Texas bands including the Jolly Garogers, Shane Bartell, Topaz, Exit, Uncle Bruno, Johnny Goudie, John Pointer, and Chatterton. And, they also bid on items in the silent auction, which will be running through the night. Up for grabs will be items ranging from salon services to ACL passes to one-of-a-kind vintage clothing items.

This Sunday at the Salvage Vanguard Theater, The Church of the Friendly Ghost is kicking off their inaugural "Lady Friends" concert, the first of four events to showcase dynamic and fresh female voices in the Austin music scene.

Grupo Fantasma just recently returned from a mid-east jaunt but is wasting no time in getting back to business in our fine city. The Grammy nominated collective will perform its intoxicating latin-funk concoctions at Antone’s on both Friday and Saturday with a very special guest. Greg Boyer, a child prodigy and fabled trombonist, has worked with the likes of Prince, Hank Williams, Jr., Lynyrd Skynyrd, Buddy Guy, and Kid Rock, to name a few, and joins Grupo on stage for the two gigs this weekend. Bavu Blakes & the Extra Plairs open on Friday; Hacienda and Peligrosa All Stars get things going on Saturday.

This Friday evening, Emo’s hosts one of our favorite Tennessee bands, Lucero. Increasingly popular locals Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears open -- check our interview with Lewis and Zach Ernst at last year’s Fun Fest via Roxwel’s site.

Boys who wish they could have taken a boy to prom and girls who wish they could have taken a girl now have the chance to relive that night. Hell, even girls who took gay boys to prom hoping to at last be disrespected have one more chance to get it right—local nonprofit Out Youth will be hosting an Alternative Adult Prom this Saturday night at Adora Hall. This prom gives GLBT adults (as well as straight supporters) the opportunity to travel back in time for the ultimate high school dance.

Austin’s longest running drag king troupe, Kings N Things, will be returning to Elysium tonight to celebrate their seventh year of professional gender bending. The troupe has taken their female-to-male drag show on the road to events across the country, performing alongside top drag performers while selling out local shows at the Off Center and the Blue Theater.

Despite all the commercials and crossover hype, the whole world is not made up of Trekkies. They’re out there, plenty of 'em, but they are still not the majority. And as much as Star Trek has infiltrated pop culture recently, it’s possible a few of you out there might need a little help keeping up with this “hot new trend.” So here, in the words of a pop-culture savvy but Star Trek illiterate reviewer, is what to expect when you’re ready to Trek.

Nowadays we’re so used to the ubiquitous warmed-over nod to past pop forms that Swift’s out-and-out motown or vaudeville sounds can be bracing, especially encountered back-to-back as they are laid out here. But they are also transporting, straight lines back to Abbey Road and Tin Pan Alley. Even under the perhaps unfair impression that Richard Swift is merely playing Dr. Frankenstein on this album, we want to hear more from the monster he’s sewn together using lost limbs of disparate pop genres.

They’re a Swedish post-punk, new-wavey outfit who draw consistently positive examinations of their music. They trio’s music has been described as “the missing step between Joy Division and New Order,” and their sound often transitions back and forth between the thrum of synth and agitated noise-punk. Their debut, An Object, came out about a year ago on Sweden’s Novoton, which is home to groups like Antennas and Norma. The band, who refer to themselves as kraut-punk, is comprised of members of The Bear Quartet and Audionom.

Next week, thousands of university students across Austin are going to start freaking out when they realize their semester is coming to an end and they have only one test left to raise their grade--their final exam. From late night Wendy's visits and sleeping in public to scantrons and in-class essays, the late-spring ritual usually brings out the worst in college students, but Austin comedian Chuck Watkins, replacing the library with UT's west mall, takes on Finals Week a little differently...

Joe Meno’s breakout 2004 novel, Hairstyles of the Damned, was a punk-rock coming of age story rooted in the Chicago scene. Meno’s strong ear for dialogue still rang with the often-hilarious angst of rebellious adolescence, and his book, published by the indie house Punk Planet, had a whiff of the underground about it. Since then, like your favorite band that no one used to know about, Meno has moved up to the big leagues, publishing with Norton and being honored for his craft alongside established names like Tobias Wolff and Jhumpa Lahiri. Now he releases a new novel, The Great Perhaps, about a halfway-dysfunctional family trying to keep itself together as both parents go through mid-life crises. We couldn’t help but wonder how Meno’s work would hold up to the growing literary reputation and newfound maturity of subject matter. As it turns out, quite well.

From Fires in the Mirror to Twilight: Los Angeles (directed by our beloved Boyd Vance for Austin in 2005), Anna Deavere Smith has provided American audiences with stark and honest theater in a style uniquely her own. Let Me Down Easy is no exception to this string of remarkable work.

Week Two of Austin's new Solar Powered Concert Series featured Los Lonely Boys in Republic Square Park. Photos courtesy Steve Hopson.

In a tactical move of sheer intergalactic brilliance, the enterprising people over at the Austin Planetarium have forged an alliance with the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum to bring you a Star Trek premier experience like no other. On Friday, May 8th from 6-9pm, the grounds and lobby of the Bob Bullock will play host to Austin's Trekkies and astronomy buffs alike, featuring none other than cosmonaut and space tourist extraordinaire, Richard Garriott.

It's about that time of day when the potbellied devil arrives on one's shoulder amidst a puff of smoke and, tapping the end of his trident on your earlobe, whispers, "I don't care if it's a weeknight. Let's catch a show and show up at work tomorrow smelling like PBR." If you're like us, the angelic foil arrives on the adjacent shoulder, putting out a Triple 5 on her sandal, chiming in her two cents, "sure why the fuck not?"

KLRU created the Austin City Limits Stage Left Program as a means to capture moments and stories of the “very best, most unique, passionate music artists” in order to create life-long fans. That seems like a pretty good goal to us so we’re pleased to announce an upcoming event for KLRU -- a free ACL show and taping of the rock band Brazos. It’s all going down this Friday at KLRU’s Studio 6A.