The smell of weed hung in the air like a promise on the sweltering Saturday night at the Backyard as fans prepared their minds for the Doggfather, Snoop Dee-oh-double-Gee. Fresh off a run in with Dallas area police that resulted in the arrest of two passengers on his tour bus, Snoop Dogg performed with 311 and Fiction Plane as part of the Unity Tour 2008 at the Backyard. Taking the stage to the melodramatic strains of Verdi's "Requiem" with a T.O. jersey (blue, of course) and gripping a jewel encrusted mic, Snoop proceeded to bang out a set of classics including such party fav's as "Gin and Juice", "Nuthin' but a G Thang", and "Murder was the Case". With the disclaimer that he wasn't an R&B singer he also performed tracks off his latest album "Ego Trippin'", including the YouTube favorite "Sensual Seduction". ...

Clinic, wrapped in their customary cloak of anonymity, play to the crowd at Emo's on Friday night. Their set was prefaced by an a capella rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone," performed by recent tourmate, Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater. As for the proper set, it was a doozy, starting with Do It! (their latest), and then a short break before a mind-blowing "Archive Set" including popular favorites from Winchester Cathedral, Visitations and more. ...

After eight years of having Texas be a no-contest state for all presidential hopefuls, this election year it could play kingmaker for one of the two Democratic candidates. The Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4 have already been dubbed Super Tuesday Two by many news outlets. Between the two states, close to 400 delegates are at stake. Texas with 126 and Ohio with 140 (not counting superdelegates). Austin accounts for 8 of the total Texas delegates....

It's been a big year for local acts. Big name bands like Spoon, Iron & Wine and Okkervil River made a huge impact on the independent music scene world-wide, while up and coming acts like White Denim and Moth!Fight! captured our attention at the indie rock water cooler all year long. As rising hopes and swelling egos swept the town alongside buzz and bravado, we parted ways with bands like SOUND Team and Clap!Clap!. ...