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Bettysport, the locally-owned women's fitness apparel store, has given up on its Domain store after two years of operation.

The 2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest is just a few months away and as always, we’ll be bringing you plenty of previews in the upcoming months, and a good amount of reviews as well once the dust settles. The fourth edition of this annual gathering of punk, hardcore, electro, hip-hop, indie-rock, and comedy will take place on November 7th and 8th at Waterloo Park and Transmission Entertainment has just revealed a few more names on this year’s line-up.

I was just hanging up the new shower curtain when I noticed the tub stopper left behind by a former roommate. The tub stopper is purple and features one very small hand, protruding up, so that when it is in placed in the drain I suppose it might look like a very small person is on the other side, trying to get out. Before I tell you more about the symbolism of that little hand, let me tell you about the shower curtain. I went to Target recently to get a few things for the house. Not to help the economy or kick the terrorists’ asses through shopping. Just because I wanted a few little inexpensive nest brighteners. I wandered the aisles in that Target Trance, visions of a new rag rug, a shower curtain, and maybe a few pairs of big girl underpants to replace the old ripped ones dancing in my head. (Note: the visions, not the torn underwear, were doing the dancing.) I found one of those shower curtains with a map of the world printed on it, made no doubt by slave labor in China who will likely never get to see the outside of a factory, let alone the world. I silently sent both my thanks and my apologies to them.

Jon Byron Bessent, proprietor of the northeast amp repair shop Tonecraft passed away at the age of 56 last Tuesday. Bessent had opened in the store with his wife Merlyn.

Nylon Magazine supports a show by British performer Patrick Wolf at Antone's, July 1, 2009. During Patrick Wolf's show, audience members gave him clothing as birthday presents which he wore. Photos by Steve Hopson, www.stevehopson.com.

Recently, during a performance by an anonymous Austin band, someone spotted Bill Callahan in the crowd, walked straight up to him and looked into his face: "Your new album," the audience member said, pausing for emphasis, "is perfect." And so it is in regards to Callahan's second release under his own name, Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle, which is so damn good it's receiving dark horse consideration for album of the year. Writing songs about the songs he wrote while sleeping, and imploring his listener, and maybe himself, to put God away, Eagle is a testament to an adult musical vision: the album is 100% free of excess, and every subtlety seems to be the product of careful consideration, or at least the spontaneous intuition of someone who's been building beautiful songs for more than a decade.

Local upscale Tex-Mex eatery La Condesa recently scored a People's Choice Award for best restaurant at this year's annual AIA Los Angeles Restaurant Design Awards.

If you've purchased any beef products from H-E-B recently, check that they're not one of these following types—if they are, they may have E-coli contamination and are being recalled by the grocer as part of a nationwide effort.

The Wall Street Journal reports that engineers at Dell are developing a mobile device that would access the Web, but doesn't work as a phone.

The Austin American-Statesman will begin printing and packaging the Waco Tribune-Herald as part of the Austin newspaper's growing printing business. Tribune-Herald publisher Belinda Gaudet announced today that the paper would stop printing and packaging at its Waco shop on July 13.

Somewhat of a childhood prodigy, Patrick Wolf was proficient in a number of instruments at a very early age and his versatility shines through on The Bachelor, his fourth full-length. His knack for skillfully arranging varying sounds into both soothing and exhilarating songs is showcased throughout this record; his theatrical persona and penchant for the melodramatic can be witnessed in the video for single “Hard Times.” Wolf envisioned this current crop of material as a double album titled Battles but eventually decided to release them individually. The Conqueror is expected next year.

By now you've heard about the three-night-stand Spoon has at Stubb's in July. We're excited about it too; and we're presenting night three along with KVRX (that's July 11). The (somewhat) local heroes will be playing tunes from their rich catalog as well as songs from their forthcoming full-length and new EP Got Nuffin.

England’s most storied and inspirational warrior king is revealed in a new, one-man adaptation of the Shakespeare history starring B. Iden Payne Award-winning actor/director and Austin Chronicle Arts Editor Robert Faires.

It’s been quite a tragic ten days or so and we’re all still coming to terms with the losses we experienced both last and this week. This Sunday, Scoot Inn is hosting a memorial for Sky Sunlight Saxon, a.k.a. Richard Marsh at 6 p.m. Sky passed away last Thursday morning at St. David’s South Austin Hospital. The cause has been identified as heart and kidney failure from an undiagnosed infection of his internal organs. Sky fronted and played bass for the garage-rock outfit The Seeds; the band had a legitimate hit with “Pushin’ Too Hard” in the 60’s. The song was named as one of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.” Sky performed at Psych Fest 2 this past March and at Antone’s as recently as Saturday, June 20th. He was rushed to the hospital on Monday the 22nd and remained in an ICU until his passing on the 25th.

With each passing day it becomes ever more doubtful that Rolling Stone magazine will pay anyone - let alone me - to fly around the country to tag along with and write about a mediocre rock band while they traverse house parties willy-nilly and take acid. But that's okay. It means less paying gigs, but also fewer glossy, in-depth profiles of hacks like Lenny Kravitz or accounts of visiting the needle exchange with Staind. What you'll get here is a more down to earth account of five bands en route to Denton and Dallas. Hopefully the quality of these groups will offset the lack of rock and roll excess contained in the following account.

At the Carver Library and Cultural Center, Austin held its other book festival on Saturday, June 27th: The Third Annual African American Book Festival. Less well-known than that book gathering held in the Capitol each fall, it still attracted some prominent authors. One, Annette Gordon-Reed, spoke of her obsession with the story of Sally Hemings, the now famous slave and mistress of Thomas Jefferson. She described a journey that began with reading Jefferson's biography as a third grader to research on his life as a college history student and the eventual publication of two books. Jefferson scholars dismissed the relationship as just "negro news," she said. In 1997, her first book, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy, examined the entire historical record. Soon after, DNA evidence confirmed the liaison. Then, using Jefferson's obsessive record keeping, the oral history, and his letters, she reconstructed the Hemings family story in, The Hemingses of Monticello, for which she received the 2008 National Book Award and 2009 Pulitzer Prize. She expressed regret at not listening more carefully as a child to her grandmother’s family stories. "Slavery was a part of my life," she said; her grandmother's mother was a slave. Gordon-Reed, now a law professor, wanted to individualize Sally, describe her family context, and allow her to be known as more than just a "slave girl." It was a short hour listening to the story behind the story.

There's something about Moonlight Towers that begs kneejerk comparison to the OK Gos, Dexter Freebishes, and-dare we say-Ryan Adamses of this world, but there's something else, something much deeper and more subtle that turns side stage and winks in our direction, reminding us that there's a either Gram Parsons or Sugar playing on the phono back home.

April 20th, 2005 is the date on the tape Erik Wofford pulls out from his archives. The head honcho at Cacophony Recorders is eager to start from the very beginning as we sit down on the comfortable green couches to discuss what went on in the four plus years since Will Rhodes, also seated beside us, first came into the spacious studio in East Austin. The tape in question contains "Graffiti The Night," a song done by Rhodes four years ago and one that can now finally be enjoyed by everyone. The ever-evolving local indie-rock outfit 'Til We're Blue Or Destroy has finally released their very long awaited self-titled debut and will celebrate by performing at Club de Ville on Friday.

The Second Annual Super Hero show features a smorgasbord of acclaimed local musicians: Alejandro Escovedo, James McMurtry, and Ian McLagan & The Bump Band. But the superheroes of its title may be the dedicated men and women of the multidisciplinary medical team at Austin Child Guidance Center; they provide mental health services for children and their families as well as community education.

• Built to Spill is coming to Stubb's in October
• Riverboat Gamblers have a new music video for "Victory Lap".
Continue reading "Music News & Notes: Denim, Harlem, Gamblers & More"
By Paige Maguire on July 3, 2009 2:37 PM 0 Vote 2 Votes

• U.S. withdraws from Iraq... sort of.
• Cash-strapped cities canceling July 4th fireworks
• Ahmadinejad urges investigation into Neda Agha-Soltan's 'suspicious' death
• Your obligatory Michael Jackson headline: Star's death leaves Bubbles and co. in limbo
• Soon showing on an iPhone near you: Porn!
• Opinion: Is Obama choosing to be a weak president?
• Photo Gallery: Pride around the world

The album opens with a love note to the fans, which is perhaps an explanation of the self-referential title. "Wilco will love you baby," croons Tweedy as the band rolls through Verlaine-esque guitars and familiar Wilco-ishness.

Hearty and full of camp fire-y goodness, {{{Sunset}}} will take the inside stage at Emo's tonight. The band is the brain child of Bill Baird, who has been performing and recording under the name Sunset and other variations (adding and subtracting the {{{}}} thingies) since 2006.

• Ladies and gentlemen, Senator Al Franken
• FDA panel urges ban on Vicodin, Percocet; and limits on acetaminophen
• Nurse says Michael Jackson begged for powerful sedative for insomnia

Think you've got the chops to solve City of Austin's budget woes? They've put up a "Budget Simulation Exercise" that lists a slew of areas, from Library and Police to Watershed Protection and Health & Human Services, where sources of increased revenue are possible. The point of the exercise is to come up with at least $9.3 million in savings or new revenue, though even this falls well shy of the estimated $30-43 million shortfall that the current 2010 budget faces.

in the war-torn country of Afghanistan, there’s a TV show much like our own inexplicably popular American Idol, where anyone can compete regardless of race, age, religion, or any other factor. And people all over the country use their cell phones to vote for their favorite performer. This remarkable film (winner of Directing and Audience Awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival) follows four finalists as they compete to become the next Afghan Star.It's sure to inform, inspire, enlighten, and entertain you. And that’s a lot more than Simon Cowell could ever do for you.

Jimmie Vaughan and the Tilt-A-Whirl Band at Blues on the Green at Waterloo Park, Austin Texas, July 1, 2009. Photos by Steve Hopson, www.stevehopson.com.

The Second Annual Super Hero show features a smorgasbord of acclaimed local musicians: Alejandro Escovedo, James McMurtry, Ian McLagan & The Bump Band, and Right Or Happy (formerly The Reivers). But the superheroes of its title may be the dedicated men and women of the multidisciplinary medical team at Austin Child Guidance Center; they provide mental health services for children and their families as well as community education.

You, the budget-conscious local music fan considering how to while away the first evening of this most patriotic of holiday weekends, could do much worse than to spend it with the four bands who will take the stage tonight at Trophy’s. We recommend getting there early to catch the promising and dreamy sounding new band St. Cloud, who were recently and unfortunately added to the ever-growing roll of musicians who’ve had instruments pilfered from their vehicles. (Here’s a list of the hot gear.)

After St. Cloud’s set erases any lingering anxiety caused by the cornucopia of national crises currently dogging the nation, Frantic Clam will offer up their inspired update on glam rock, followed by the jangling tones of Jim & the Toms. The garage-pop combo The Little Gentlemen, who recently celebrated the release of their debut album I Quit Nothing, close out the night.