Alejandro Escovedo's new record, Real Animal comes out today. Geeks: the vinyl edition has a cover of the Stooges' "I Got a Right". If you missed him on the Today Show this morning, catch him this weekend at the Keep Austin Weird Fest. ...

Best known as the frontman of alt-country group Richmond Fontaine, Willy Vlautin is now also an author. His debut novel, The Motel Life, takes the same bleak, resigned-to-fate look on life that fuels his music. The story centers around the relationship of brothers Frank and Jerry Lee, who flee town after one of them accidentally kills a boy in a drunken hit-and-run accident. They find a strange kind of freedom in their ensuing travels; it's......

In the first bit of Las Manitas news this year that has nothing to do with small business displacement or forgivable loans, Academy Award winning director Jonathan Demme has announced plans to shoot a new film at the embattled downtown eatery. The film (mentioned at the tail end of this Washington Post article) will apparently be a concert documentary featuring Austin roots rocker Alejandro Escovedo. No word yet on a timeframe for the shoot, but......

FRIDAY [20] benefit/music • Ashera-Blare-A IV with All In the Golden Afternoon, The Heirs, The Minderchucks, and The Otters at Club DeVille beer/party • Black Star Co-op's Craft Beer Celebration with Pong, Opposite Day, The Second Line Social, and fine craft beer from around the country at Fiesta Gardens (8pm-Midnight, $10) comedy • Punchline, open mic stand up comedy at ColdTowne Theater (10pm) dance • Room, part of Refraction Arts' Fuse Box Festival at The......

Ed Note: Please note that the Mobile Art Place opening party mentioned yesterday is not actually free, but is open to those attending Night at the Galleries. Sorry for the inconvenience. FRIDAY [23] music • Maneja Beto, The Interest Kills, The Laughing, White Denim at The Compound ($5, 18+, 9pm, 1300 East 4th Street) comedy • The Frank Mills perform their new sketch show, "One Classy-Ass Show," at Blue Theatre (DEETS) books • Abriendo Brecha......

Save Las Manitas Concert of Voices Friday, February 23 La Zona Rosa Grupo Fantasma, Alejandro Escovedo, Patti Griffin, James McMurtry, Ruben Ramos, and Jimmy Dale Gilmore will be playing. Hosted by Jaston Williams and Joe Sears of Greater Tuna. $5 fajita plate before the show. Tickets are $25 and are available at Waterloo, Runtex and www.gettix.net. Escuelita del Alma is an awesome asset for the people who live and work downtown. The Marriott project......

Tomorrow's your last chance to vote in the PLUG Independent Music Awards, the annual audience-juried awards event that recognizes the most promising artists and members of the independent music community. Beyond traditional music categories like Album of the Year, New Artist of the Year, and genre-specific awards, PLUG also celebrates everything from live venues and music festivals to internet radio stations and music blogs. This year, several Austin or Texas-based bands, stores, and organizations......

We all know that "Austin City Limits" is one of the finest television shows in the country. The intimate venue provides an enchanting atmosphere in which musicians can feel at home. Ever since we started watching it as wee ones in the 70s, we've been in love. It seems others share our passion. Paste Magazine's The Best 24 Hours on Television issue has named "Austin City Limits" the best place for music on television. "Austin......

FRIDAY [15] music • Ghostland Observatory and Thee Emergency at The Mohawk (912 Red River) ® party • Earthdance at NiaSpace (7:30pm-10pm, $15) party • Eastside City Limits party with Pink Nasty, Tnlons Fort, I Kill Cars, Missing Tapes, Brothesr and Sisters, Til We're Blue or Destroy, The Black at Red Scoot Inn and Old Austin Daze Compound (9pm-4am, FREE) ® party • Teleport Door presents the Pop Yo Colla' party with DJs Daniel......

While August continues to look farily quiet for roadshows, September and October are just blowing up. Many indie stalwarts have recently scheduled appearances for fall semester, so start saving up some coin. Among the highlights: Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, M. Ward, Jose Gonzales, and Ladytron. Unless you've been under a rock this week, you already know that loud dinosaurs The Rolling Stones are also planning a visit; that said, no ticket info has become......

FRIDAY [12] [art] The Furman Collective presents "Taking Back the West" at Bolm Studios (Opening 7-11pm, Through Sunday) (link) [music] Paul Green School of Rock - Austin Presents Funk and Reggae at RedRum ($10, 7pm) (link) [music] Blood on the Wall, Psychic Ills, My Education, Ume at Emo's (link) [music] Zykos, Quien Es Boom!, The Lemurs at The Parish Room (link) [music] Alejandro Escovedo at Waterloo (Free, 5pm) (link) [music] Steve Arceri CD release at......

MONDAY [8] [music] Art Brut, Birdmonster, The Robocop Kraus at Emo's (link) [music] She Wants Revenge and OKGO at Stubb's (link) [music] The Lashes at Waterloo (Free, 5pm) (link) [film] Amelie (with FREE crème brulee) at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] L.A. Confidential at Austin Java (8pm, FREE) (link) [film] Anime Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm, FREE) (link) [film] Wet Hot American Summer at Rounders Pizzeria (6pm, FREE) (link) [film] School of Rock at......

Its premise is charming in its optimism: let's, for a single day, transform a barren, urban city block into a vibrant, organic gathering of public art and music. This weekend, Austin Green Art and Capital Sports and Entertainment (CSE) are taking over Block 21 -- better known as 2nd Street and Lavaca -- to throw a huge Earth Day celebration. "Rock The Block" promises to be replete with performance art, temporary sculptures/installations, and a......

*(Giveaway Alert: Email us (editors@austinist.com) with the names of two of your favorite Alejandro Escovedo songs and be entered to win two tickets to By the Hand of the Father.*) By the Hand of the Father, the critically acclaimed original work written by Theresa Chavez, Oscar Garza, Eric Gutierrez and Rose Portillo, returns home to Austin this weekend. The performance, featuring music by the legendary Alejandro Escovedo (whom you already know we love), dramatizes......

Anybody familiar with Alejandro Escovedo's music knows it's very hard to describe Al's style. Once called the Mexican Bruce Springsteen, Escovedo's music is full of life -- and all the trials and tribulations that come along with it. Alejandro's compositions range from the quiet yet lush to the overly aggressive punk stomp. But for these special performances, Alejandro goes acoustic and surrounds himself with a string quartet whose musical abilities and nuances brings tears......

M O N D A Y [ 1 4 ] music · Dios (Malos), Pilotdrift and Steeltrain at Stubb's music · The Lemurs and Tarantula A.D. at the Parish Room film · Spiderhouse Cafe screens "Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price" (RSVP, Free, 10pm) (Thanks, Kate!) shopping · Austin Museum of Art's Tax-Free Day music · Piebald, Hot Rod Circuit, Hit the Light and Valient Thorr at Emo's music · Nic Armstrong and the......

Twenty bucks goes a long way on Tuesday night as Antone’s hosts a benefit performance for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Headliner Alejandro Escovedo will be supported by a who’s who of Austin singer-songwriters including John Dee Graham, Charlie Sexton, James McMurtry, Dan Dyer, Ian McLagan, James McMurtry, Fastball, and Heybale. Doors open at 6, and the show start at 7. Proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross, so please come out and show your......

If the news that David Garza is playing at Stubb’s wasn’t reason enough to get through Hump Day, Alejandro Escovedo will also be playing tonight (July 28) and tomorrow night (July 29) at the Cactus Café. Austin truly is a great city to live in. Alejandro’s appearances have been rare since suffering complications from Hep C, but the last few times we caught up with him, he appears to be fine and in good......

We know you love living in Austin, where there's always a live music event happening. But the best is when the music benefits a good cause. This weekend, there are a couple of shows that will do just that... All day today, at Threadgill's on Riverside, KGSR will be hosting a drive for Family Eldercare called FanFare Friday! Donations will be accepted until 7pm and go towards the purchase of fans and funds for......

The behemoth of nonprofit cultural awareness organizations, Americans for the Arts, takes over Austin this weekend for its annual convention, this year entitled Leading the Charge. And how! This promises to be the largest gathering of city and state arts leaders from all over the country, essentially a who's-who of the established arts community. Their theme this year couldn't be more appropriate for our fair city: what better place to "focus on establishing and......

This time around, you can’t say that you didn’t know about it in far enough advance. You can’t say that you had something already scheduled. When Alejandro Escovedo performs twice later this week at the Continental Club, you really have no excuse to miss one of Austin’s greatest singer-songwriters, ever. Period. From his early days in the Nuns, Rank & File, the True Believers, and Buick Mackane, Escovedo has always been an innovator, seamlessly mixing......

For those about to rock, the Austinist has a few selections to piss off your neighbors. Mindless Self-Indulgence - You'l Rebel to Anything Mindless Self-Indulgence combine industrial groove with spastic metal outbursts. Mudvayne - Lost and Found Mudvayne finally drops the goofy make-up and alien masks to reveal that they may be capable of making good music without all the gimmicks. Slipknot - Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) Special Edition Roadrunner loves to issue re-releases......