I Am So Popular: Billie Jean Is Also Not MY Lover!
![Snapshots: Patrick Wolf @ Antone's [Last Night]](http://austinist.com/assets_c/2009/07/3681926004_a0e4378bf2_m-thumb-110x110-364431.jpg)
Snapshots: Patrick Wolf @ Antone's [Last Night]
Faith/Void: Bill Callahan at the Parish, Being Great
Weekend Music Preview: Sky Sunlight Saxon Memorial + 4th of July events
Commentary- African American Book Festival
The Austinist Staff
Editor-in-Chief Section Editors
Paige Maguire Music Advisory Committee
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Contributing Staff |
Allen Y ChenEditor-in-ChiefIt was at the tail end of a cross-continental road trip from Berkeley to Baltimore that Allen, upon closer examination of an atlas, realized that New England wasn't an actual state. |
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Paige MaguireMusic EditorPaige Maguire is an Austin native and incurable music addict. When she isn't writing and editing for Austinist, she's working as Web Producer at KUT 90.5 FM. Paige enjoys record shopping, learning how to use her camera, and spending time with her kid. She is known throughout at least three zip codes as Fleetwood Mac's number one fan, but she's just as anxious to talk to you about her first Fugazi show. |
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Matthew SmithFilm EditorExpelled from Canada for not owning enough Rush records, Matt now lives in the 78704. When he's not watching movies at the Alamo Downtown, he's usually out seeing a band that everyone else hates. Or eating chicken-fried steak. Or both. |
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Emily WeertsArt EditorEmily is one of "those people" who migrated to Austin from Northern California. She first moved into a three story, seven bedroom, 120 year old Victorian in Central Austin with six roommates and one hairless cat. When she's not at the Drafthouse, BookPeople, or one of the galleries around town, Emily is finding other ways to put off making her own art. When she's really motivated, Emily loves to garden, cook, and create all manner of crafts and messes. She now lives on the East side of town with far too many art supplies and one understanding boyfriend. |
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Shawn ShillingtonUrban Development EditorShawn is an urban acolyte in the tradition of Jane Jacobs. He was born in Oklahoma, raised in Texas and educated in New York City. Likes: integration, longs walks in the city, street front retail, shotguns, trees, green (not the color), right angles, choice architecture, bikes, kids, black, white. Dislikes: isolation, direct light, sprawl, heat, highways, parking, suburbia, hippies, boomers, colors, cancer. |
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Elizabeth SNews EditorElizabeth S. comes from a long line of native Texans and has lived in Austin most of her life. She did spend a year in the Twin Cities area (Americorps FTW!), but during that time she said "y'all" as often as she could. A few of her favorite things: Twitter (@elizs), her Wii, classic movies, Austin Public Library, singing along with the radio and church potlucks. |
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Justin CoxPhoto Editorqueso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso queso camera. ps: tacos. |
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Steph BeasleyFood EditorSteph is one of the five people in Austin who was actually born here (Seton Hospital, respect!) However, she technically grew up in Round Rock, but that makes her totally OG. Her first concert was the Oak Ridge Boys at the Erwin Center. Obviously, she has great taste in music. During said concert, she sat on her daddy‘s knee, with a gigantic ten gallon hat blocking her view of the entire show. Obviously, she dislikes large hats. She loves the Alamo Drafthouse and Live Oak HefeWeizen, especially when the two are combined and hates that people do not know how to merge in traffic. |
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Julie HoldenTheatre EditorA native Texan, Julie Holden has spent most of her last 11 years in Austin. Having recently welcomed yet another precocious little Austinite into the world, she has since quit her day job as a brittle technical writer to stay at home and play with her daughter, Johanna. She and her husband John love living in the bluest city in the reddest state, and plan never to leave their adopted hometown again. |
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TruecraigColumns EditorTruecraig writes amongst the ranks of the 78704, practices regular bearding, drinks in a sporting sort of way (like a two-day game of cricket), and believes that the production of sincere panda pornography might be the key to the survival of that particularly lazy bear species. Truecraig thinks that everyone takes themselves far too serious. Even you. But Truecraig likes you anyway, and wishes you would call him more often to talk about cuddly puppies, open sewage, and where all that killer-bad graffiti be at. |
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Jeff BeckhamSports EditorJeff grew up in Dallas but is quick to point out that he attended UT and has spent the last 10 years in Austin. He enjoys watching the Longhorns both from the far confines of Section 102 or from the comfort of his couch. This is not his Heisman Trophy, but it does, oddly enough, currently reside on his mantle. |
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Sam ArmstrongAdvisory CommitteeSam believes life is like a noodle bowl. Discuss. |
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Tom ThorntonBy day, Tom helps the residents of Central and South Austin find homes and condos to call their own. He moonlights as a music, food and wine writer for Austinist. In his leisure time, Tom loves the Spurs, craft brews, new world wine, Chelsea, Britpop, KUT, nachos, SXSW, Scrabble, Caffe Medici, Jackalope burgers, and (especially) time with his wife and daughter. Tom has been to 28 countries, but sure loves living in Southwest Austin. If he had a theme song, it would be by Hot Chip. |
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Joshua HuckJosh lives, writes, studies, and plays music in the soft, tanned, patchouli-scented bosom of Austin. Having had just about enough of cities like Dallas and Washington D.C., he migrated here in the Summer of 2003, quickly acclimating to the unpredictable weather and gregarious citizenry. A breakfast taco connoisseur of the highest order, he also makes a fairly wicked Bloody Mary. |
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Adi AnandAdi grew up in New Delhi (South Side represent), India. His family moved to Tejas in the 90‘s and he ended up in Austin at the University of Texas. Adi loves music, sports, kitties, and much much more, not necessarily in that order. He enjoys attending concerts and shows, Longhorn sports, and general fun events. On Sundays, he plays soccer in the city league, and usually rests and stuff. In 2007, Adi fulfilled a life-long dream by sitting at the KOP end at Anfield. He watched the match too. |
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Matthew DewittWhen not pretending to play guitar or tending to his very controversial music column, Hots On, Matt DeWitt is working for the weekend.He went to art school, so go figure!He also writes for Skyscraper. |
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Beth LebwohlBeth Lebwohl was born in Queens, and moved to Austin a few years ago, sight unseen. Likes: the word on the street, sundried tomatoes, irises, Kanye, basil, coconut water, subways, grit, goats, teeth, lips, bad reputations, printmaking, photography, tea, sweet breathing, getting that perfect word, the wrong joke at the right time, beetles of the Amazon, ease, imagination, lurv. |
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Eric UhlirEric was born in Los Angeles to Swedish gypsies, who left him on the doorstep of a wealthy raconteur. They'd spend endless hours exploring the city with his brother in the family gyrocopter. When he was but 12, they moved to San Antonio to help defeat the Mexican Army. It was there that he realized his lust for adventure was not yet sated,so he went to college in Austin,at the University of Texas. There he found a distinct lack of adventure, but a lot of great people. He met the Queen of Siam and the Viceroy of the Exchequer of Butan. He would idyll away the days smoking opium pipes and reading the collected works of Kipling. Oh, what heady days, indeed. Now he finds himself in the venerable occupation of Sea Captain.Really? No, not really. But he DID grow up in Los Angeles and he REALLY went to UT where he majored in Art. He founded a studio on the east side, where he continues to make paintings. He's also a local correspondent for Austinist and Spin, taking rock photos, writing reviews, and interviewing bands. He also contributes to Urban Pollution, and AustinSound, and, occasionally, to Rolling Stone. |
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Aaron HaleyAaron has been a proud Austinite for over ten years, having skipped out of the burgeoning hill country village in which he was raised before later realizing that it was both "quaint and charming." He spends his days and nights managing an ever-growing mass of networked gizmos for a very passionate organization in downtown Austin and the rest of his time dreaming about running off to the CIA and spending the rest of his life in a kitchen. He enjoys sports; primarily hockey, rugby, and college football, although now mainly watching, rather than playing, as he now realizes the price of healthcare. His favorite drinks are Mexican Martinis, Guinness and Dublin Dr. Pepper. His favorite foods are Sushi, Tex-Mex and BBQ. He does seem to continually get caught up in lofty and idealistic technology projects around town, but no, he will not fix your computer. |
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Zachary DouglasZachary is from somewhere north of Texas, but south of Canada. He has been in several highly successful bands, but is now in one that many consider to be the next A-HA. |
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Adam SchraginAfter looking to the city of Austin with jealously and longing growing up in San Antonio, Adam S. finally made the move to attend the University of Texas after a year and a half of studying at U.N.T. in Denton. Austin has been a permanent home other than a brief stint back in S.A., wherein his love for Austin was reaffirmed and he fell into journalism largely as a result of a few happy accidents. |
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Mike AgrestaMike has lived in Austin since 2004, mostly on a fellowship at UT. He writes stories, novels, plays, and poems, and sometimes also grants, promotional materials, form letters, and such, for money or for love. He has worked on Wall Street and in a chocolate factory, and his coolest boss ever (aside from Allen) was a retired founding member of GWAR. Mike's interests include the extraordinary and the everyday. |
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Patrick DentlerA proud graduate of Austin High and The University of Texas, when Patrick is not working for the Austinist you can find him on the trail, on his bike, with a camera around his neck or a beer in his hand. He enjoys nothing more than surrounding himself with his friends, who wake up early for the Springs and stay up late for Mag Mud. To this day, they continue on an ambitious mission to sit on every dimly-lit front porch in Austin. |
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Joel NihleanWriter, photographer and drummer for local bubble-gum players The Sweethearts, Joel Nihlean floated around the University of Texas for nearly a decade working on degrees in Journalism and English. He graduated with little fan fair in late 2007. Hopefully gainful employment will follow shortly, but he's not holding his breath. His flashy, mysterious blue eyes and unkempt looks earned him work as a smart-ass literary snob and event host for BookPeople and as a food service peon at various local establishments, most notably Amy's IceCreams. On December 17th, 2007 he became a dad. His son Lucas is adorable but has no chance of turning out normal. |
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Rebecca OnionTransplanted Northeasterner Rebecca Onion is a freelance writer and graduate student in the American Studies department at the University of Texas, Austin. You can read her non-Austinist writings at www.rebeccaonion.com |
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Laura HensleyLaura grew up on a cotton farm in West Texas and lived in College Station for seven years. However, she escaped both conservative bastions with little more than an FFA Lonestar award, an Aggie husband and a longing to live in a place where everyone doesn't know your name. When she's not writing about sewer system projects or Fourth of July parades for her day job she catches live music, art exhibit openings, hangs out at the Alamo Draft House and futilely attempts to foster new hobbies like photography, sewing or bicycle riding. She is horrible at all three but that doesn't keep her from trying. |
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Carly KocurekCarly Kocurek researches, writes, and edits in Austin, where she's lived since 2004. She likes barrettes, cultural theory, rhinestones, and elaborately decorated desserts. She dislikes cold weather, microfilm, and the sound Velcro makes. |
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Kristin B.Kristin (a.k.a. "K.E.B.") had no idea what she had gotten herself into when she moved to IAH during a redonkulously hot summer in Y2K. While her friends back home in ORD were placing bets to see how long she would last, K.E.B. was quickly falling in love with the great state of TX. Three years ago an early midlife crisis induced a hiatus from Corporate America to travel, take photos and snowboard. After landing in AUS, she took a job at a tech company where she has gained praise and near-celebrity status for her ability to carry on entire conversations consisting of only acronym-laced buzz phrases and IATA airport codes. She enjoys dolmas BTT (by the truckload), further advancing her OCD and making fun of the 2nd Street yupsters despite being one of them on the slimmest of technicalities. |
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Nick CourtrightNick Courtright is a phenomenon/is not a phenomenon. There is a good chance he is from Ohio, where he may be the oldest of six kids. A rumor spreading through the halls of local high schools suggests that he recently extricated himself from a job as a "cube worker," and that he drives a car without air conditioning. The latter is the gravest demonstration of his tolerance and/or poverty. His lifeblood is the poem, and he has published his lifeblood in dozens of national literary journals, many of which most people have never heard. He is, so it is said, a fan of mangling a sentence just to avoid ending it in a preposition. Perhaps you should buy him dinner. |
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Brady DyerOriginally from Virginia, Brady moved to Austin three years ago. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in English and is ONE class (!) away from finishing her MA in Humanities with an emphasis in modernism. Currently on staff at the Blanton Museum of Art, she was the PR Associate the Chrysler Museum of Art in VA for seven years. As an avid art/music/film lover, there are so many things to dig about Austin! |
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Veronica MeewesVeronica Meewes grew up against the backdrop of the indescribable New Jersey suburbs and barely has an accent (right?). After attending Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied writing, art, and sociology, she toured the U.S. and heard Austin calling. Since arriving in 2005, she's been a teacher of children, lover of food, caretaker of plants, planner of parties, builder of cakes, student of yoga, taker of photos, rider of bikes, and trader of sorts. Now she works full time at Helping Hand Home for Children, part-time at the Dougherty Art Center, and has developed a method of sleep-writing which allows her to pen between jobs for the austinist, as well as Eat & Drink Austin and Soundcheck...shhh: do not disturb... |
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Bryan MochizukiBryan comes to Austin from California, by way of New York. He avidly supports the NBA and only buys cars from Garrity Motors. |
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Anna HanksAnna Hanks escaped a hellfire 'n' brimstone childhood in Deer Park, Texas. Consequently, her life is now devoted to pleasure, going out, and parsing the nuances of pop culture for an appreciative audience of dozens. In the mornings she enjoys howling along with her Anatolian Shepherd "Duke" as he sings along with the sirens on Lamar. A DJ pal suggested putting some beats behind this collaboration and turning it into an act for SXSW. Sometimes she actually thinks this is a good idea. She was made to love magic. One of her fondest memories is drinking Port from 1907...poured by magician Kevin James. |
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Matthew FrederickMatt has been putting words into various crazy combinations and decorating them with wacky punctuation since he was this tall. He has lived in DFW, OKC, ATX, NYC, LA, and then ATX again, and has traveled extensively. He worked as a cameraman on some television shows you have heard of and a whole lot of movies you haven't. These days he can be seen dressed like he thinks grunge is still "in," though it's said that he cleans up well. |
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Briana PurserBriana escaped the mean streets of Houston to establish Austin as her home in 2005. Ditching her studies in biology to attend art school, she has spent the last several years making photographs, indulging in live music, traveling, and trying to finish her degree while accruing quite the debt. An artist, a yogi, a mover and a shaker, she is probably the most detail-oriented mess you will ever meet. She eats tacos on a daily basis and thinks sriracha sauce is the best condiment ever. |
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Sarah MarieSarah Marie is a New Orleans native who moved to Austin after graduating from the University of Iowa with a BA in English. Her first full-length play, Lay Bare Strange Desires, was produced in Iowa City in 2003, and two of her Ten Minute Plays, "Shears" and "Freckle Music," are published in a Ten Minute Play anthology. She writes fiction when she's feeling solitary, and poetry when she's in the mood to shout stanzas at open mics around town. Her affinity for books borders on illicit. |
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Candace BirkelbachAs you can imagine, Candace had an awkward childhood growing up in small-town Texas with a last name like "Birkelbach." After escaping said town, she stumbled upon journalism and the realization she could have super awesome nicknames like "Drunkelbach" and "Birkelbitch." She has been pretending to be cool ever since. Music is her boyfriend and brunch is her best friend. Isa and Evey are the dogs she considers as children. She has an affinity for soccer, yoga, cooking, dancing and discovering the beauty of Austin. |
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John MellerJohn is currently a student at UT, studying communications and contemplating his future. His most significant life achievements include driving to Wayne Coyne's house, attaining enough music knowledge for angry debates, and a complete mastery of Mario Kart 64. Please don't make fun of his patchy beard — he hopes it will be better, someday. |
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Robert StillerRobert is currently studying electrical engineering at UT, but he is an NBA point guard at heart. His vices include Irish whiskey, Camel Turkish Silvers and fast women. Rob has been rocking the 512 area code, the 78705 postal code, and the 99-cent Wendy's extra-value menu since the summer of 2006. |
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Nash CookI am not a fan of talking about myself in the third person. Here are the facts: I was born in Houston, realized that was a mistake and moved around the American West, and Canada before landing in Austin. I've been working in and around media for as long as I can remember. I hate snakes and rats equally and love music so much I never want it to end — so I photograph it. |
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Andrea GrimesAndrea learned about Jesus as a child in suburban Fort Worth, got a whiskey education as a student at NYU, developed a bad case of Anglophilia while living in London and perfected the art of honky- tonkin' working as a reporter in Dallas. But nothing really prepared her for Austin, where she daylights as a grad student at U.T. and moonlights as a stand-up comedian, freelance writer and cocktail enthusiast. She loves tomatoes and cats. But never in the same dish. |
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Stella Susan FloydStella happily returned to Austin in 2006, having spent four years living and working in England, first in York and later in the cultural wasteland of rural Essex. Another garden variety liberal arts grad, she's a Texas football fanatic and former Capitol tour guide currently disguised as UT staff. Goals include having big Texas hair and publishing a semi-autobiographical Southern Gothic memoir. A native Texan, Stella loves God, Tex-Mex, and the Dallas Cowboys, not necessarily in that order. Actually, she's an atheist, but she always wanted to write that in a bio. |
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Darcie DuttweilerDarcie grew up in a town, attended some college, and has a day job, but none of those are as important as the loves of her life: hamburgers, vodka, and David Bowie. She lives in Clarksville with her soulmates: Mr. Big, a fat cat who's faster than he looks, and Pip, a no-tailed cat afraid of his own shadow. With their powers combined, they are capable of incredible feats, such as eating, sleeping, and watching disgusting amounts of television. What? They aren't superheroes. |
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Karin KrossAfter a peripatetic upbringing (courtesy of the US Air Force) and the acquisition of an English degree at Rice University, Karin settled in Austin in 1998. She lives with her husband Bruce and her cat Muji in a house with an ever-growing book and music library, a collection of comic books on the verge of overrunning her office, and an array of cookbooks that seems to magically take up more and more shelf space every day. She makes really good roasted potatoes and homemade kimchi. |
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Caitlin MooreCaitlin was born in a state known for its gently swaying fields of wheat and excellent basketball (Rock Chalk Jayhawk) but Austin's winsome personality and robust events calendar persuaded her to leave it all behind. These days she spends her time writing, reading lots of news, going to shows, living a healthy yet beer-enhanced life and convincing herself that being a grad student is nothing to be ashamed of. |
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Keith GaddisKeith, first and foremost, hates writing his own bio. Born and bred in Mississippi, he bounced all over the Deep South in various incarnations (including a stint as a door-to-door Bible salesman in FL) until he landed in ATX circa 2002. Having finally given up his dream of becoming a child prodigy, he's now settled into a life as a full-time geek and part-time photographer. He and his wife live in Cedar Park with their brand spanking new baby boy, who rudely insists on waking the dead at least once a night. |
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Kelsey KlingKelsey was just declared Master of something...Arts, she thinks. She can't be sure as she still has not come out of the sleep deprived state that goes along with being a mom to 19-month-old twin boys. She is a sometime-actor, would-be scholar, and a wishful chef. She is married to a wondermous man, but occasionally likes to escape her lair to go to the theatre or drink beer, or both. Maybe she will pick up some interesting hobbies now that she's part of the world again. |
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