Arts and Entertainment: July 2009 Archives

Don't miss the great art events taking place around town this weekend. Here are just a few of the highlights: Tonight from 7-10pm, Industry Screenprint Studio (2503 B E. 6th) is hosting another installment of PRINT+addiction, a t-shirt printing party that features the designs of a different artist each time. This month PRINT+addiction welcomes one of Austin's most prominent street artists, Matthew Rodriguez. The studio will set up their eight color screenprint press with eight designs created by Rodriguez. Participants will learn how to print their own shirt and can purchase a shirt for $15 or bring their own and pay a $5 printing fee.

The four impeccably coiffed lads that comprise local quartet The Steps have been playing around Austin for a couple of years now, and while they’ve already been exposed to the international music press and toured extensively, they seem to fly under the radar of music fans in their home town. Comparisons to The Strokes and The Stones are frequently lobbed at the band (and not without merit), and the members don’t necessarily discourage said comparisons, which are at least tacitly supported by their new EP and first official stateside release Take It All In. The EP sees the group further establishing their Strokes homage in style as well as sound, but you listen closely, The Steps appear to have more chutzpah than your garden-variety black-clad rock combo.

What’s the Deal: This Boston-based group lead by multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter Brian Carpenter has undergone several lineup shifts and some directional changes since their formation in 2002. They began as an improv instrumental group frequently using a circus music vibe as a jumping off point with instruments like sax, accordion, banjo, musical saw, and others. That was during the Ringleaders Revolt recordings. For the release of their second album, Dreamland, Beat Circus moved toward a narrative music style and centered this concept album around historical events in turn-of-the-century New York and Coney Island. Now, their latest is set to be released in September. Boy From Black Mountain is “a collection of very personal songs about children, fatherhood, dreams, lost love, lust, revenge and redemption,” according to Carpenter. The music, which he says is inspired by his son, true stories from his family in the South, and Southern Gothic literature, mixes the sounds of bluegrass, Appalachian strings and a touch of southern gospel into a pot with a stygian, circus orchestra vibe.

In a city geographically and culturally close to Mexico, Austin sees a fair amount of influence from our south of the border neighbors reflected in the art exhibits around town. Pump Project recently displayed a Lucha Libre mask collection, and the Mexic-Arte Museum is wrapping up their twenty-fifth anniversary show featuring an impressive exhibit of art, masks, and artifacts from their permanent collection. What we are shown often reflects the elite of Mexican culture - the professionally lit and theatrically staged Lucha that gets international TV coverage, or the well studied works of Diego Rivera and Arturo Garcia Bustos. The new exhibit Libres y Lokas opening this Saturday at Domy Books provides us with a glimpse of the polar opposite. The gritty documentary is the result of a collaboration between OTIS IKE and Ivete Lucas, both photographers and filmmakers who have landed in Austin to study their craft.

There is no shortage of musical talent in Austin and Oak is Keeping is the latest local outfit to grab our attention. This past April, the band dropped Animal Style, an impressive collection of pummeling rock songs, chock-full of irresistible melodies, layered vocals, and standout guitar wizardry. Per founding member Shay Isdale, “We have a very unique writing dynamic. I generate riff and melody ideas and present them to the band. At that time we literally pick apart the whole song idea and analyze it until everyone agrees on the finished product and puts their own touch on their respective part. It’s amazing how democratic we are, and we somehow never get into any arguments about writing. I think that sets us apart from most bands. We truly enjoy the whole process, even as collaborative as it is.” Comparisons to Queens of the Stone Age are inevitable, for even Isdale’s vocals harbor a hint of Josh Homme. Oak is Keeping nurtures a similar bludgeoning sound powered by ingenious licks. Sizzling six-strings mark “Tempt” and “Tell Me These Things” while our favorite “Burn It All Down” chugs along at a steady pace before blazing into a memorable chorus. Even gentler fare like “Book Of Matches” and “So Sweet” are not sans moments of eruption. Recommended for fans of modern day hard-rock, the album ends with the thunderous “What We Live.”

It's a useful reminder that creating powerful, memorable art and revering the canonical figures can be a pair of clashing objectives. It's also a lesson that Will Hollis Snider of Cambiare Productions, whose new interpretation of the story of Orestes, opens at the Off-Center this weekend, has taken to heart. Rather than simply stage a modernization of Euripedes' classic, Snider gutted the script, ripped out the boring parts, replaced the scenes in which the messenger runs on to tell the audience what's happened with new scenes that show exactly what that was, and placed it all in a post-apocalyptic setting. With that accomplished, and the show set to open, he sat down with Austinist to tell us about improving on the Greeks, the movement in Austin theater back toward the classics, and what Orestes has in common with the brave men and women of the Battlestar Galactica.

In nearly ten years of existence, Room 710 hosted a wide variety of local and touring artists, tirelessly supplying the city of Austin with a multitude of live shows. Last week, owner Asher Garber shared his thoughts on the Room 710’s history, his own background, the good (and not so good times), and the challenges he faced as he toiled to keep the club afloat. During the interview, Garber was resolute in his belief that the venue did not only cater to the punk and metal fans. And as we approach the end of an era on 710 Red River St., his words could not ring truer -- Room 710’s Final Weekend features a veritable sampling of distinct genres, offering patrons a final opportunity to enjoy a stellar collection of shows at the club.

There's a Greezy Wheels-sponsored meeting to discuss returning KUT vets Paul Ray and Larry Monroe to full-time status. Meanwhile, Joe Gross gets to know their replacement, Matt Reilly.

For all of us who like to run with scissors, the impending arrival of The WonderCraft is exciting enough to make us put down our glue guns and celebrate. The WonderCraft will host craft classes through out Austin at various locations including cafes, stores, and community centers. On Friday, The WonderCraft is celebrating their launch with The All Austin All Handmade Bash at the Beauty Bar. Proceeds from the $2 cover go to Austin Dog Rescue and the first 100 guests will get a tote filled with goodies from Sublime Stitching, The WonderCraft, Funky Finds, Aldea, and others.

Austin's The Sword have been busy. In 2008, after the release of Gods of the Earth (Kemado) the band toured extensively with bands like Machine Head, Lamb of God and Clutch. They also did dozens of dates with Metallica, supported them on the 2008 European Vacation Tour.

The Community Art Makers crew responsible for creating (then burning) the fabulous Resolution Clock at the 2009 First Night Austin are at it again. This time, they've been picked to build the temple for this year's Burning Man. During the festival, event participants will cover the wooden surfaces of the structure with writing, remembrances, wishes, and resolutions. Until now, the temple has always been made by California artists, so the Austin based Community Art Makers are going to have to bring it big - Texas style. The massive, modular structure is being constructed by hand and by ShopBot in Austin and will soon be trucked out to the desert where it will be assembled. There will be to be a benefit show at the Parish tomorrow night to help fund this major community art effort. Gypsy cabaret rockers WinoVino will headline the show, with sideshow oddities That Damned Band supporting. Barebones Orchestra, with their rock and roll horn section, will open. Tickets will be sold at the door and cost $10 for general admission and $7 for those who come in costume - think your best Gadjo Disko gear.

Even if your brother isn't in this band, rest assured that someone's brother is. Nathan and Aaron Campbell, twins and rock cohorts, along with Dalton Chamblee and Garrett Ross are Fatback Circus. Still spitting fire from winning a spot on the Vans Warped Tour, the group is achingly close to being picked up by a major record label. The four-piece menagerie of rock, jazz, funk and spunk was born in the sleepy town of Stillwater, Oklahoma, but Austin is now their dwelling of choice.

This year, volunteers at ACL will need to pay a fee to participate. The fee ($10) will go toward enhancements to the volunteer program.

James Hannaham’s God Says No is narrated by the book’s primary character: Gary Gray, a sweet overweight black Christian who loves God, Disney Land, and sweets. He has one big problem, though: a nagging sexual attraction to men. Convinced that his deeply buried homosexuality will condemn him to eternal hellfire, Gary embarks on a quest to convince himself and everyone around him that he is indeed a normal guy, 100% straight.

Coming soon to a newsstand near you, Austin Monthly's annual "Bachelor" edition. The glossy features ten of Austin's finest man meat after what the magazine called an agonizing decision process. The year's list includes a Survivor contestant, an FBI agent and Austinist friend, James Moody - legendary rambler, owner of Mohawk and proprietor of the upcoming Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Look out sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigots! Tonight and tomorrow night the ladies of the 80s are climbing the corporate ladder and aren't afraid to kick you down a rung if you don't recognize their keen intellect and undeniable business acumen, not matter if you are one of their kind or not. In a stroke of pure brilliance The Paramount has programmed a double feature that will give any other activity tonight or tomorrow night a real run for its money shoulder pads, pairing the Dolly Parton/Lily Tomlin/Jane Fonda triple threat of 9 to 5 with the bony-assed-boss berating, Aqua Net-enhanced prowess of Melanie Griffith in Working Girl.

This weekend Austin will play host to the first ever film festival for non-profit and cause-driven organizations. Lights. Camera. Help. received submissions from over 140 groups and selected nineteen finalist to be screened this Friday and Saturday. Of these films, one will win the Lights. Camera. Help. Judge's Prize which comprises all the proceeds from ticket sales and donations collected during the festival. Lights. Camera. Help. co-founder Aaron Bramely answered some questions for us about non-profit organizations, new technology, and this weekend's festival.

Emo’s inside has a veritable intrastate indie pop summit on their hands tonight, as Houston’s Young Mammals and Austin’s International Waters head up a four-band bill. Young Mammals (formerly the Dimes) are bringing their fun, upbeat, and occasionally hyperactive guitar pop back to town for the first time since they opened for the French Kicks back in April. International Waters should offset the exuberance of Young Mammals nicely with their comparably measured, sophisticated jangle that brings to mind Unrest, Comet Gain, and other bands that could be described as twee-with-an-edge. The Sour Notes and Way No Way open.

Austin's Peek-A-Boo records is prepping Octopus Project's upcoming Golden Beds release, due this week. Peel is getting ready for a hiatus due to Josh Permenter's move to San Fransisco, so July 31 will be your last chance to see them for a spell. Supported by {{{Sunset}}} and Little Stolen Moments, they'll perform at Baby Blue studios around 9 p.m.

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public" said H.L. Mencken, and The Onion is betting on it. With their first Fame Whores competition tonight at The Mohawk, they are inviting participants to display their talents, "dubious or otherwise" in front of a crowd and a panel of judges.

The one and only Snoop Dogg coasts into Austin on Tuesday along with reggae stalwart Stephen Marley as a part of the Blazed & Confused 2009 Summer Tour. Based on their fairly distinct musical styles, this might seem to be an odd bill but really, the cheeky tour title is all you need to read to comprehend the reasoning behind this pairing. Snoop also appeared on the Marley number “Traffic Main Answer” in 2007. The song was a remix of “The Traffic Jam,” from Marley’s debut Mind Control which took home the “Best Reggae Album” award at the 2007 Grammys.

We're proud to present his next Austin show, Friday, August 7 at Emo's. He'll be playing alongside Learning Secrets, Markus w/ a K and DJ Richard Gear. Learning Secrets provides an electro-funk disco mix, which should be a gentle intro for the maniacal presentation of Franki Chan.

The Castanets have been a fixture in weird folk for years, with Ray Raposa lately dipping further into country music. His latest is entitled Texas Rose, the Beasts, and the Thaw, out on Asthmatic Kitty records, and he's playing The Mohawk tonight.

Tori Amos is playing Saturday night at the Long Center, part of a tour to promote her new album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin. It's a concept album following Amos' life-long subjects: women, religion, power and sin. It harps on that desire in all of us (or at least most of us here in Austin) to want what's bad or different or obviously wrong for us. A trait so trite, yet so innate in us all.

Don't miss the great art events taking place around town this weekend. Here are just a few of the highlights: On Sunday from 6-9pm, BiRDHOUSE Gallery will be exhibiting new work by Graham Franciose with the exhibit There's a story in there somewhere. The nostalgic illustrations will be paired with the musical stylings of Elisa Ferrari.

sEvery once in a while an Important Movie comes along - a movie with the potential to revolutionize the way we see other parts of the world. The Stoning of Soraya M., opening July 24, is one of these movies. This story is excellent and the performances are flawless, but more important is the way it opens up another world—a world we don’t often bother to notice or even try to understand. This is what makes it pecial.

Peanut Butter and Jelly. Soda and Ice Cream. Rice and Curry. Sure there are plenty of things that work incredibly well in unison. Transmission Entertainment and Gatti’s Pizza? Why not! Transmission has teamed up with Gattisjingle.com (yes, that’s right) to organize quite an event for today’s youth, tomorrow’s rock stars, and old fogies like you and I -- this Sunday, Red 7 hosts the Under 21 Party featuring sets by Orion Belts, Mucho Gusto and Mother Falcon. Besides live music from three talented local bands boasting members in the U-21 demographic, there will be a screening of Empire Records, giveaways from the likes of Frank and Domy Books, Gatti’s pizza of course, and plenty of pool and arcade games to further enhance the good times. There will also be a raffle to win a pair of tickets to November’s Fun Fun Fun Fest at Waterloo Park, featuring Jesus Lizard and many more.

The tools of Molina’s choosing, including dobro and lapsteel guitars, are especially evocative of an aching loss, so its natural that Josephine be his most country influenced album yet. It’s also comparatively stripped-down, so the listener seems confronted with an empty horizon, at every turn expressing something missing. This would all be belabored and depressing- that is, if it weren’t so simply beautiful.

Brooklyn's Pterodactyl play frenetic, razor-sharp fuzz rock, sounding something like Unwound or maybe even Feels-era Animal Collective played at 45 instead of 33. Their latest record, Worldwild is out now on Jagjaguwar, and features Joe and Matt, Zach (Ex Models, Knyfe Hyts, the Seconds), and Jesse (Twin Powers, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth).

For now, stick to the beloved celebrations of the 80's, with a truly enticing one scheduled for this Saturday at Scoot Inn. Foot Patrol has previously dazzled us with many a Prince cover. This evening, the local funk outfit takes a stab at hits from the 80's. We’ve been promised renditions of 20 songs from the decade, including “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” But that’s not all, not even close to it. There is a costume contest. And should you go all out and bust out the Molly Ringwald or Andrew McCarthy in you, there is a John Hughes themed photo-booth courtesy of Jounetsu Photography. Wow! Plus DJ Mahealani will be on hand to spin many, many more songs we love. The $10 price of admission might be considered a tad steep but it’s all for the noble cause of aiding a talented local band put its best foot forward -- the cover charge will go towards helping Foot Patrol fund its first N.Y.C. tour.

Austin Bat Cave, a non-profit writing and tutoring center for kids, is hosting two free summer camps during these last few precious weeks of summer vacation. The organization focuses on connecting a diverse population of young writers and learners with a vibrant community of adult volunteers in Austin.

Stellastarr*’s brand of 21st century new-wave contains plenty of ingenious riffs, catchy melodies, and passionately delivered chorus’ but the Brooklyn band continues to fly somewhat under the radar, never quite attaining the widespread acclaim their talent merits. The band’s self-titled debut dropped in 2003 with memorable ditties such as “In The Walls,” “Jenny,” and and “My Coco; 2005’s Harmonies For The Haunted was an equally stellar record and included gems like “Sweet Troubled Soul” and “Lost In Time.” Stellastarr*’s latest effort Civilized (released on July 7th) arrived nearly four years after Harmonies but the band stays true to form, delivering instant gratifiers (“Freak Out”), distressed pleas (“Warchild”), and wistful odes (“Sonja Cries”) via another impressive collection of pulsating rock songs.

What’s the Deal: At Herm’s helm is Dubliner Kevin Connolly, and while he tends to steer his musical craft a little erratically through the chop bouncing between feelings and sounds on his debut album, Monsters, released this year, the independent- minded tunes can all stand tall and strong on their own. They might even prefer it. Connolly and his Hermanos, a backing band he sometimes records and plays shows with, create a wide range of dark blues, melodic and jangled rock, and touching indie folk.

Cass McCombs has mastered the spell of casting spare, hazy instrumentation that creates a space just tangible enough for the listener to become lost in. But “Dreams Come True Girl” simply sets the bar outlandishly high, even by the time Karen Black’s guest vocals make an entrance late in the song, sun-drenched and conjuring Lolita.

It’s interesting that White Denim, a band that’s already joined the vanguard of recent Austin attention-grabbers (Shearwater, Harlem, Black Joe Lewis, et al.), has yet to see a physical release of their music supported with even a modicum of distribution in their home state. That’s set to change on October 20th, when Downtown Music will finally release Fits, the band’s second (third if you count their UK debut Workout Holiday) and most adventurous LP domestically. Actually, adventurous is an understatement: it’s head-spinning how much they pack into the record’s economical 37 minutes. Fits is a short but dense blast of moody, psychedelic soul that careens from hard-edged funk and breezy soul, to straight up psych rock with flourishes of jazz and dub. It manages to be in nine places at once without feeling directionless or schizophrenic. The trio is incredibly tight, and the song structures and time changes are so fascinating that you have to occasionally stop and ask yourself, how the hell are they doing this? However they conjured it up, Fits is an excellent, occasionally face-melting rock album that deserves to be played loudly and often by many more people than are currently familiar with it.

Austin-based artist and musician Amy Cook is the subject of a new documentary called Amy Cook: The Spaces In Between, which will be released and aired July 22nd through August 21 on the Documentary Channel. The film features the songwriter's last tour, her upcoming album (produced by Alejandro Escovedo) and her relationship with hotelier Liz Lambert.

Photos courtesy Steve Hopson.

When one writer critically examines another respected author, readers should be skeptical. In Notes on Sontag, Phillip Lopate reflects on Susan Sontag’s essays, book-length nonfiction and fiction. He works from his strength as a personal essayist: intimate, balanced, and a generalist. Lopate’s appreciation of literature keeps the focus on her writing and not her personality. In fact, he cautions this is not, “Thank God,” a biography. He does, however, interweave some personal encounters with this fellow New Yorker. More significantly, he digs deeply into her writing. He quotes widely and at length from her body of work. And he chooses wisely. Look at this Sontag gem from an essay on Nazi symbols: “The color is black, the material is leather, the seduction is beauty, the justification is honesty, the aim is ecstasy, the fantasy is death.” Throughout, Lopate writes honestly, as readers should expect from an essayist, on her strengths and weaknesses as a writer.

Meet The Harlequins. They're indie and they're Austin, but there's something else. Representing the epitome of raw sound and hearty emotion, their folky beats seep into the pores of everything present during a live performance. Setting up their tunes on a creative territory amid American electric rock and indie rock's mellowest tunes, the Harlequins formed in 2007. The group — vocalist/keyboardist Hunter Bates, guitarist Joe Mader and drummer Tyler Wiethorn - touch on influences as varied as 80s jangle pop to the sonic experimentation of Wilco, the Wrens, and My Morning Jacket.

he Top Ten from this summer's season of So You Think You Can Dance will be making a stop in Austin this fall. The judges on the show insist that this fifth season's dancers are the best they've had on the show, and come October 27, you can be the judge as to how well they perform live.

It’s normally not a huge surprise when a dance club or watering hole on Sixth Street proper switches names, ownership, or even format. Aces Lounge on Sixth and San Jacinto Blvd. is just one such example, having been through a number of changes over the years. From Icon to Inferno to Austin’s own Hard Rock Cafe, the bar has run the gamut in terms of modifications. Transformations on Red River St. (from Sixth to Tenth) tend to be less frequent. Sure, the location that is currently The Mohawk, now firmly entrenched as a key player on the street, once played its fair share of musical chairs (Caucus Club, Le Privelege, Velvet Spade). But of late, the Red River District, which is home to the most prolific stretch of live music venues in town, has been sustained by quite a few resilient clubs (Beerland, Red Eyed Fly, Headhunters, Club de Ville, Elysium) and consolidated by emerging venues (Red 7, Creekside Live, Beauty Bar). And with enhancements of their own, Emo’s and Stubb’s continue to march on as well. If you noticed one prominent bar missing in that who’s who of Austin venues, it’s Room 710. The home of Tia Carrera Happy Hours and the place to catch shows from a slew of tireless local acts like Pong, Foot Patrol, and Golden Hornet Project, to name a few, is shutting its doors on August 2nd.

There's a Save Austin Music meeting tonight at 7 p.m. If you can't attend physically at 3708 Woodbury Dr. (behind Ruta Maya & Penn Field, S. Congress & Ben White), join them online here.

Neiliyo is pretty hard to ignore when rapping along to hyper electronic dance beats while rockin' some Ray Bans, fratty attire and boat shoes sans socks. His popularity, charm and mastery of the mix table have landed him in the semi-finals for the Last Band Standing Contest. He's just an arm's reach away from the grand prize, a slot at Lollapalooza in August. Voting ends today for the semi-finals and the top two bands compete at the final event in Chicago.

Maggie Gallant knows that there are two kinds of people in the world - those who understand their favorite band as a spiritual force that communicate important things about life to those listeners who are truly prepared to hear them, and those who don't know anything about anything.

Don't miss the great art related events taking place this weekend! Here's a rundown of some of the highlights: On Sunday, BiRDHOUSE Gallery is throwing a BBQ with food, beer, and art. The party will kick off around 2pm. Five dollar raffle tickets will be sold for a chance to win art by Joshua Saunders, Clayton Robert Kalman, Jasmine Whitus, and many others.

Neil Hamburger has been derided and applauded, for several years at this point, for being the world’s best worst comedian - his is a conceptual brand of deliberately antagonistic anti-humor that relies more on performance and delivery than the quality of his jokes. And while Hamburger does set an incredibly low standard for a good portion of his material, it’s the occasional line that unexpectedly earns an honest laugh that keeps things interesting, and the audience either scratching their heads or screaming for blood. He employs devices ranging from intentionally poor timing and awful puns to a maddening, near constant clearing of his throat, which makes a typical Hamburger gig excruciating to sit through if you’re not in on the joke (and some would argue, even if you are).

As part of a rare stateside tour that hits the Salvage Vanguard on Sunday, Olausson will be playing solo as well as in Sus & Jakob, the girl-boy duo that's more Brother Ah/Sun Ra's Strange Strings than She & Him. Sus & Jakob will release their debut LP out on De Stijl later in the summer, and it promises to have no small impact on the international freaky mess that we call "modern music." That said it's hard to imagine Olausson's various projects being blueprints, so original and well-executed they are. The whole thing kicks off at 9:30, so it won't likely impinge on your Monday morning blues.

This Saturday evening the Church of the Friendly Ghost is presenting three experimental musicians performing solo sets and then working in tandem. Brent Fariss, Nick Hennies and Rick Reed have long histories working within an alternative musical framework here in Austin, but this concert will be the rare opportunity to see the three working together under the name Knob Jobs.

Austin Fashion Week wraps up this weekend, but there are plenty of stylish happenings taking place all around town through Sunday. For full event listings, visit the Austin Fashion Week Calendar. In the mean time, here are a few highlights: From 2pm to 4pm, Maximum FX Salon (1007 S. Congress) is hosting a millinery demonstration. The hat making class will be led by Laura Del Villaggio who carefully crafts beautiful hats and facinators for Milli Starr. Del Villaggio will demonstrate straw and felt blocking and discuss finishing techniques. The salon will be staging an iced tea party with treats from Sugar Tooth Bakery.

It’s natural to settle in for a cozy evening at home on Sunday and disregard any notion of the impending gloom that beckons. The thought of Monday morning’s alarm clock can grind away the memories of even the most buoyant of weekends. However, we do live in Austin and the well of inspirational live music never runs dry. Chug down a 5-Hour Energy drink or revitalize with a strong cup a’ tea. Then head down to The Mohawk with a keen ear to delay your case of the Mondays. The Veils, spearheaded by the redoubtable Andrew Finn, craft shimmering pop songs containing the sort of poignant lyricism that should have you reflecting on all the things in your life, good and bad, that make you tick. Finn’s astute songwriting only just overshadows his versatile voice which soars upon backdrops of pulsating rock and gentle folk alike and is regulary complemented by vibrant keys. It all adds up to the perfect antidote to your lingering feelings of doom and gloom. We’re so eager to get you out of the house we’re sending you to the show for free. Enter your details in the form below for a chance to win two tickets.

Project Runway alum and designer Johnathan Kayne Gillaspie will be presenting new pieces from his eveningwear collection at the Austin Fashion Awards this Sunday, July 19th at the Long Center. Johnathan Kayne dares to take high design where there’s a major style void in the industry - the heavily embellished pageant and prom scene. Gillaspie won a Project Runway challenge by designing a gown for then Miss America, the infamous Tara Conner, which she then donned at the Miss Universe pageant. In preparation for the Austin Fashion Awards, we were able to pick the pageant prince’s brain, and we got fashion philosophical about his background and bling.

Comprised of former members of 88 Fingers Louie and Baxter, Chicago’s Rise Against came into existence in 1999 as Transistor Revolt. By 2001, the punk-hardcore band had changed their name to Rise Against, signed with Fat Wreck Chords, and released The Unraveling. Their most recent (and fifth) full-length, Appeal To Reason dropped last year on current label DGC/Interscope. The band members frequently communicate their opinions on a number of subjects -- they were staunch supporters of Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential Election and their blistering anthems often address political and social issues. They are also firm believers in protecting the environment as evidenced by the “Ready To Fall” video and their vegan VANS. Rise Against stops in at Stubb’s tonight with Rancid supporting during this North American jaunt.

Contributing to a worthy cause can be fun when there's a drink special and a party soundtrack. That's why Project Transitions brings their summer party Red Hot XVIII to Oilcan Harry's this Friday night. The 18th annual party benefits people living with HIV/AIDS through the foundation's various programs.

What’s the Deal: There are bands you need to hear, and then there are bands you need to hear. Sin Fang Bous is definitely in the latter camp. The outfit is the handy work of Icelandic 20-something music man Sindri Mar Sigfusson, who you could recall as a founding father of Reykjavik’s folk-pop pride, Seabear. Sin Fang Bous is Sigfusson’s solo project, and he just released the debut full-length, Clangour, this year to nowhere near enough praise. The music is full of imagery, thanks in part to Sigfusson’s choice of singing in English over his native tongue, samples, and sound effects abound giving the project a densely layered yet well constructed sound.

We hear quite of a bit of Doves influencing their sound, pared down just enough to firmly place the Mercers within the camp of sarcastic pop bands currently flashing chord progressions as juicy as their lyrics’ wit is dry. Austin seems to be an incubator for this "Wit Pop" (can we trademark that?) sound, hatching such masters of the style as Spoon and Okkervil River.

Visioneers will be released on DVD July 21, but the guys at the Alamo love the movie so much that they’re hosting a screening on Sunday night. No matter how you go about it, we highly recommend that you check out this darkly funny and refreshingly unconventional film.

Photos courtesy Chad Wadsworth.

Austin Fashion Week continues with the most events yet! Check out the full calendar for many other stylish celebrations, in the mean time, here are a few of today's highlights: Austin Handmade (2009 South First St.) is celebrating its grand re-opening with a fashion show and music by Lost Werks and DJ Beef Eigler. Designer Robbie Kaye Dodson of Parsimony will be showing her collection of chic and classic women's fashions. Sugar Mamma's Bakeshop will provide sweet treats and Sweet Leaf Tea and Treaty Oak Platinum Rum will provide libations. Guests are invited to test out their craft skills with a few DIY projects and the Wondercraft crew will be on hand to teach make and take projects. Austin Handmade is offering discounts and giveaways from local designers and the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls.

The Austin Museum of Art downtown is showing The Lining of Forgetting: Internal & External Memory in Art. The museum has hosted a series of related film screenings and public tours. In the exhibit, the artists get creative with their interpretation of memory: some of the subjects explored include family photo albums, Road Runner cartoons, and the works of Shakespeare. The Lining of Forgetting examines the ways we remember, and highlights how we often forget, rewrite, and even fabricate memory. “I had a flashback of something that never existed,” artist Louise Bourgeois writes on fabric.

Some back story, if you really need it. Roky Erickson was what Syd Barrett could have been if he moved out of his Mum's basement and onto a faithful regiment of anti-psychotics. He's a monument to the redemptive qualities of music, having built this fair city on psychedelic rock and roll, wandered off the reservation with bombastic panache, and returned decades later to conquer the world: a man shattered and reassembled to his own soundtrack.

Dirty Projectors' new album, Bitte Orca, is a multi-faceted dream of a work: sometimes it feels like a rock album ripped straight from 1974, sometimes it’s an elegant string-supported beauty, sometimes it’s a pop album practically ready for the sweetness of radio, and still even other times it’s an oblique dash through counterintuitive song structures and harmonization. Often, it’s all of those things at once, as for the first time the wizard vision of lead man Dave Longstreth has graduated from mere experimental chops and into full-fledged songs. Put all that together and it gains Dirty Projectors entry into what's been a recent hit parade through Austin, joining such 2009 über-luminaries as Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, and Bill Callahan at our local venues. While the instrumentation, led by Longstreth’s singular guitar work, is flawless and captivating in its execution, the big draw that makes the Dirty Projectors stand out is the astounding vocal interplay between Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian, whose tangling of voices in shocking yet artful ways will be on full display tonight at Red 7.

Everyone’s favorite Donnie Darko shout-out author, Graham Greene, has apparently had a hidden work unearthed by a Greene scholar named Francois Gallix, who was doing time here at the Harry Ransom Center. Right here in Austin. Over a year ago, but whatever. To some of us, this is still big news.

Austin Fashion Week continues, here's a rundown of today's events... including a little something for the men! Keepers (515 N. Congress) is hosting a fashion lunch hour wherein models with be showcasing stylish men's looks by Keepers clothing and Mint Owl Accessories. The store will also hold a trunk show and be serving snacks and beverages. The fashion lunch starts at 11am and runs until 1pm.

Photos courtesy Tyler Nutter.

The genre-defying instrumental band Tortoise arrives in Austin on the 15th in support of their seventh proper full-length LP, the aptly-titled Beacons of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey). It's their first new disc in five years, though its cast of five has been quite busy in other projects. They formed in 1992, a Chicago/Louisville conglomeration of rhythm players/sections brought from Bastro, Eleventh Dream Day, Precious Wax Drippings and Tar Babies. Their arsenal of instruments was always impressive - vibraphones and analog synthesizers weren't exactly on the radar of most indie bands in 1994. The fact that really, nobody has ever known what to do with Tortoise (the infamous "post-rock" tag still follows them wherever they go) has probably in part contributed to the band's longevity.

Monofonus Press is doing it again. Their cup runneth over with creative juices, and they’re giving us another chance to sample the sap. They’ve got the market cornered in this town when it comes to the cross-media, artistic explosion. They began the auspicious endeavor of mixing three different art forms like music, writing and illustration into one release with IF 01 often bringing together three different artists who would normally not collaborate.

Austin Fashion Week continues, here's a rundown of today's events. Avant Salon, winner of Rarest of them All 2009, "Best Salon", (9901 Capital of TX Highway) is offering hour long $60 facials and massages from 9am to 7pm, beginning Tuesday and running throughout the week to celebrate Austin Fashion Week.

Vampire Weekend keyboardist/producer Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot singer Wes Miles collaborate on this gorgeous electro-pop album; referencing Tom Tom Club, Postal Service and the Specials. There’s nothing deep here: it’s two white kids working out their R&B and pop aspirations with Auto-Tune, a lot of synths and some simple lyrics about dance floors and girls that drive us insane.

That's right, the Hamburger Bed is for sale on eBay. Inspired by the 1986 movie, Hamburger: The Motion Picture, in which dorm room beds were hamburgers, Austinite Kayla Kromer cooked one up for herself. More accurately a Cheeseburger Bed, the handcrafted original quickly became an internet sensation and has appeared in seven magazines. After months of warding off would be buyers, Kromer sites a series of personal setbacks requiring her to make sacrifices as the reason she is finally willing to sell her masterpiece. Since the burger is large (8 feet in diameter!), Kromer is nor arranging for shipping, which puts Austin area residents at a great advantage should they want to sleep between a slice of memory foam American Cheese and a sesame seed bun.

Today marks the start of Austin's very first Fashion Week. Many events will be taking place around town and we'll bring you daily preview information here. The week of style officially starts tonight with the Austin Fashion Week Kick Off Party from 6-8pm at the Spa at the Lake (900 RR 620 S, #A104). The happy hour under the spa's veranda will feature appetizers from Hosteria Verde Supper Club and feature tunes by John Selector (of Thievery Corporation and Poi Dog Pondering). The party will feature hair and makeup design by Nate Gordon and Paige McAlvey, respectively and jewelry by Limbo Jewelry Designs.

Despite the unbearable heat, Spoon's mini-fest was a huge success over the weekend at Stubb's. Austinist contributing photographer Aasim Syed was there to capture everything.

In a blitz of blood spatter and body counts, the Alamo Drafthouse and Ain't It Cool News today released a portion of the sure-to-be incredible program for the 5th annual Fantastic Fest, which will burn down the South Lamar location in a cinematic firestorm September 24 - October 1, 2009.

If you couldn't make it to Spoon Saturday night, you can catch their openers, The Strange Boys at Waterloo Records today, 5 p.m.

One of Austin’s best country-folk hardasses is playing a set this Friday before embarking on a big tour of the U.S and Canada. Scott H. Biram made waves as a super-loud one-man band, but an injury put him out of commission for some time. He’s been making a comeback as of late, doing a session with KAOS radio, a few scattered sets, and now this show at Room 710 before hitting the road. Biram is supporting his May Bloodshot records release, Something’s Wrong/Lost Forever. He’ll be performing with Pure Luck, Woodsboss, and Supersonic Uke.

Now this, this is going to be some kind of unhinged, goofy, and indubitably fun time. Atlanta’s the Coathangers are in town again, and this time around they’re supporting their new record and first for Seattle’s Suicide Squeeze label, the aptly titled Scramble. For a band that essentially began as a one-off joke at a house party, the Coathangers have gotten a lot of mileage out of a crass abortion reference and a sound that's somewhere between vintage Athens new wave and a ramshackle Kathleen Hanna tribute/novelty act.