Here’s the start of a horror movie, starring the lineup Sunday’s lineup on the Austin City Limits BMI Stage (not that the lineup is horrifying, or anything): We open on a run-down house in rural Mississippi. The house is owned by five brothers, played by the five members of Colour Revolt. The brothers, a scraggly, rough-hewn bunch, are sitting on their front porch, listening to a variety show on an antique radio (voices and music provided by The Belleville Outfit), when five strangers crest the hill approaching the house. It’s the members of South Austin Jug Band and The Massacoustics, playing road-tripping college friends, headed to New Orleans but terribly lost and out of gas. Suddenly, the ghostly image of a woman (Elizabeth Wills) appears between the house and the travelers. She knows of the danger that lies ahead of them. “Fly away,” she warns. “Fly away!”... [continue]

Josh Cohen and Tamra Malaga perform long-form improv with a particular twist: Cohen plays almost all of his characters through puppets. And we’re not talking amateur-hour “Punch and Judy” stuff here—Cohen’s honed his skills in the employ of The Jim Henson Company, logging time inside the titular character of “Bear in the Big Blue House” and acting as Cookie Monster’s right hand for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As the main human presence on stage, it often falls to Malaga to play the straight man and ground the felt-and-fur insanity that surrounds her. ... [continue]

Starting this Saturday, Start Trekkin’ brings fully-improvised “Start Trek” episodes back to Congress Avenue for an eight-week run. Meanwhile, Coldtowne Theater speaks to an issue more contemporary than intergalactic exploration: our tanking economy. With free shows and free beer. Yes, you read that right.... [continue]

We had more fun watching this show than we did seeing Chicago's famed improv group Second City. We enjoyed this more than some of the of the stuff we've seen off-Broadway! Of course, since this is an improvised show—meaning the characters and situations are created on the spot—the show we saw most certainly won't be the show you'll see. Yet we trust that any group putting on something so fresh and vibrant one weekend will be able to reproduce the magic in the next performance. Watching a comedy show like this is sort of like visiting the farmer's market. You see fresh eggs and tomatoes every week, but you don't see exactly the same eggs, now do you?... [continue]

Curiously, there aren't ten bands playing before Baltimore's indie-darling duo Wye Oak takes the stage this evening. Maybe Emo's is paring down their marathon line-ups. Probably not. There's one, actually, and it's The Cocker Spaniels (a.k.a. Sean Padilla) whose brand of "New Power Emo" will put a smile inside your mouth and a sparkle in your step for days to come. Wye Oak will too, for that matter. ... [continue]

Starting tonight, the Alamo will present three non-consecutive screenings of the "Brad Neely Animation showcase", a collection of cartoon shorts from the Austin-based artist. We recently sat down with Brad to get his take on Austin, Chevy Chase, and why it’s always good to read the fine print.... [continue]